<p>On <em>Occapella</em>, Jon Cleary—blue-eyed, English-born bastion of 'Nawlins-cooked R&B, barroom killer on the piano (and guitar), and one-time collaborator with Bonnie Raitt—applies his own appropriate brand of playing to '50s soul, grimy '70s funk and plaintive piano penmanship ("Southern Nights") of the Allen Toussaint songbook.<br /><br />Throughout, Cleary comes on like a chicken-fried Van Morrison, with subtle croon, economical chops, little acrobatics, lots of finger-snap and hand-clap percussion, tasty guest turns (Mac Rebennack himself) and an unerring reverence for Toussaint's humid, bass-heavy grooves. Production leans a bit toward the slick side ("Poor Boy Got to Move" is definitely a Quiet Storm clunker), but shortfalls are inevitable when attempting tribute to an act of such button-down class, musical elegance and sheer spiritual virtuosity.</p> <p align="right" style="text-align: right;"><br /></p>
Jon Cleary
Occapella (FHQ Records)
