Harry Connick Jr. - Blue Light, Red Light

What a BAND!

Got this one just for Roger Ingram on "Just Kiss Me". Folks, this is how lead trumpet is done! October 14, 2006

Probably his finest work overall

Other releases of Harry's better demonstrate his jazz chops (some of the cuts on WHEN HARRY MET SALLY [ASIN B0000026V6] and 19[ASIN B0000026LW]) and others are more experimental (the Nawlins' funk expressed on SHE [ASIN B000002A64]) but as a reflection of Connick's usual big band style, this is probably his most realized attempt at offering his affection for the style by trying to add to the "Great American Songbook".

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Red Light, Blue Light" starts the disc in fine fashion with a tune that slinks along like a long lost film noir tune. (Listen to the contrast between the quiet clarinet and sections and the brassy bombast and see if you don't think "detective theme".) Connick knows that life can still be good if the bank account's not. ("Who cares if the floor ain't level/Or if the ceiling falls in....I can't be concerned/Why should I care?/No place I'd go alone would ever compare/Cuz I know/You're there") "You Didn't Know Me When" casts Connick as a rascal full of tall tales. ("If you want a resume, I'll put it in writing/It's only good for a day and the contents are frightening..") He shrugs aside suggestions of his truth-stretching by simply noting "Baby, you didn't know me when..." "He Is, They Are" follows a father through his children's eyes from days as breadwinner ("He is strong/They are secure") through a divorce ("She was gone/They were confused/He was forgetful/They were supportive") and finally as an aged man needing their help ("He is needing/they are giving/He is glad they are his own".) "With Imagination (I'll Get There)" is the most influenced by Connick's hometown, imbued with a heavy Dixieland flavour. "The Last Payday" is a cautionary tale to n'er-do-wells that reminds you that "You're always lucky/'til you get caught". It also makes nifty use of a billiard sample.

LOWS:
"Jill" is a bland sop to Connick's paramour at the time (wife now I believe). It features half-baked sentiments like "Look, my darling/And you'll hear me sing 'I love you' with my eyes". "It's Time" has way too much music and too little lyric. What could have been a decent tune if kept succinct drones on past the point of my interest. "Sonny Cried" is a sleepy affair based entirely around Connick's croon and Russell Malone's acoustic guitar. That in and of itself isn't the kiss of death but the lyric just doesn't have any real heft.

BOTTOM LINE:
Comes as close as I've heard to standing alongside Porter, Gershwin, etc. It's still the Connick CD I pull out most often. Recommended. November 12, 2005

Can never be replicated

This is by far Harry's most complete album. I got this CD in 1991 when I was twelve and just getting into music and fell in love with it. Thirteen years later I am still listening to the CD. It starts out with a powerful ballad in Blue Light, Red Light, comes to the halfway point with a great dixie land swing mix in With Imagination (great solos) and ends with a high energy big band piece, Kiss Me. People who appreciate jazz and music alike will be assured to enjoys hours of listening. P.S. Go see Harry live, the man puts on a great show and is an audience pleaser. May 26, 2004

My favorite

This album is by far my favorite of all Harry's offerings. I first saw him on Donahue ages ago and ended up getting this CD. Harry since put out several other albums trying to re-invent himeself along the way with a little funk but the songs from Red Light Blue Light are what I measure all his other albums up against.

Harry on Red Light Blue Light is backed up by an extremely talented big band whom much of which are also featured on a Harry Connick Jr. DVD I highly recommend called The New York Big Band Concert. February 20, 2004

The BEST of the Best

My mother, guided by a recommendation from a store clerk, bought the cassette of this album for my father on their wedding anniversary. So my very first exposure to Harry Connick Jr. was by chance. Or rather, by destiny: as this album has inspired me in more ways than I can describe.

Six years later, after having worn out two tapes, i bought the album on CD. Now, five years after buying the CD, I plan on buying another - as it's been played over and over and over, causing much abuse.

A romantic effort with emotion so deep it is best measured in leagues, every song on the album is an amazing listen. From the beautiful title track that tells how all one needs for happiness is love to "He is, They Are" that tells of the care of a single father, Harry's voice takes you on a musical journey of which is likened to a quiet stroll in central park (or perhaps Berkley Square) on a warm August night.

His voice is often compared to Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, yet he remains undoubtedly his own - with a swing that is straight from 1943. Sometimes sweet, sometimes hot - the jazz is always grooving, rich and enveloping with instrumentation that is nothing less than perfect - thanks in no small part to solos by Leroy Jones (trumpet), Jerry Weldon (tenor sax), Brad Leali (alto sax), Ned Goold (tenor sax), and Russell Malone (acoustic guitar).

Enjoy "A Blessing and a Curse" and "With Imagination (I'll Get There)." Delight in romance with the likes of "She Belongs to Me" and "If I Could Give You More." Have fun with "Just Kiss Me" and "You Didn't Know Me When." Shed a tear with "Sonny Cried" and "The Last Payday." Listen to "Jill" and consider if it isn't the best Love song you've ever heard.

"Blue Light, Red Light" is, without a doubt, Harry Connick Jr's best album. I can say this because I own all of his albums. Proudly.

Treat yourself to good music with passion and soul and travel into the far, shadowed corners of your own heart and see what you discover. Treat yourself to "Blue Light, Red Light." November 5, 2002

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