Possibilities - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com
Possibilities, by jazz piano/keyboard legend Herbie Hancock, with songs by Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, and Leon Russell, is a multigenerational masterpiece. Rock's "it boy" John Mayer leads off the CD with the spare, bouncy opener, "Stitched Up." Brit-born soul girl Joss Stone and bluesman Jonny Lang get down on the gutbucket "When Love Comes to Town." Christina Aguilera's excellent vocals illuminate "A Song for You." Not to be outdone, Annie Lennox delivers an operatic take on Holly Cole's "Hush, Hush, Hush," while Sting's "Sister Moon" swings with stealthy syncopations. Santana and the Beninese singer Angelique Kidjo provide the world flavor on "Safiotou," and the dreamy "Gelo No Montana," with ex-Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio, is the lone instrumental. Hancock's tight solos and intelligent orchestral synths radiate all of the tracks. Like Frank Sinatra's Duets and Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company, Possibilities introduces Hancock to a new and awestruck generation. --Eugene Holley, Jr.

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Album Description
Imagine the possibilities…..

"Possibilities" is the musical event of the year. The album is a series of inspired encounters between Herbie Hancock and world-renowned musicians - including John Mayer, Sting, Trey Anastasio, Annie Lennox, Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, Santana and Angelique Kidjo, Paul Simon, Christina Aguilera, Jonny Lang, Joss Stone, and Raul Midon. Herbie Hancock describes "Possibilities" this way: "This is a real collaboration that we're doing here. It's all been decided at the session, a record without borders, woven like a tapestry with many colors. The possibilities are endless"

Customer Reviews: Read 70 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Possibilities ... versus Actualities September 1, 2005
87 out of 95 found this review helpful

The pre-release word-of-blog regarding POSSIBILITIES among a number of long-time Herbie Hancock fans has largely been suspicious of this album's potential for bridging stylistic gaps among some, if not all of the album's guests. And the Starbucks connection also left many seeing this as a marketing gimmick. Well, even if it was built to attract fans of the guests as much or more than Hancock, the bottom line is: does the music succeed as an effective reflection of Herbie's strengths, as well as being a compatible showcase for the guests?

I would say the answer is usually one or the other, but only occasionally both. If you are a Hancock fan who wants to hear him to best advantage, you'll have to satisfied on much of POSSIBILITIES with nice acoustic piano solos that sound overdubbed after-the-fact onto tracks he otherwise doesn't seem to be much involved in. Roughly half the tracks fall into that category (including ones with John Mayer, Santana & Angelique Kidjo, and Jonny Lang & Joss Stone). Herbie seems more in the center of things on the other half, such as on worthwhile tracks by Sting, Paul Simon, Damien Rice & Lisa Hannigan, and even the Christina Aguilera cut works both sides of the fence quite well. Yet only on the final track "Gelo Na Montanha" is Herbie in the forefront from beginning to end. In my opinion, this CD would have been a more effective Herbie Hancock album if it had a 50/50 mix of the most successful vocal/piano collaborations with instrumentals that allow Herbie to be the star of his own show (ala recent Santana albums that were roughly a half-Santana, half Santana-with-guests split).

If the guest list generally looks attractive to the potential buyer, I think you're more likely to be satisfied with this album. All of the vocalists come off at or near the top of their game. The Mayer track should please his fans, even if to Hancock followers the union of these two seems quite square peg/round hole. Christina shows off a more mature side than on most of her own tracks on "A Song For You." "Safiatou" (with Santana and Angelique Kidjo) is an excellent collaboration that would elevate any of Santana's most recent CDs. For Hancock fans however, again he sounds like he is a part atop of the track rather than within it. Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called..." gets a more reflective treatment than the original hit version. While Raul Midon handles the vocal well, it's hard not to wish Stevie had taken the lead, particularly being that he is already on the track (on harmonica).

The album's worst moment ends arguably its most moving performance: Annie Lennox's vocal of Paula Cole's tune "Hush Hush Hush." What's there is exquisite, but when Herbie starts to solo -- perfectly taking off from Lennox's vocal -- the track FADES OUT! Note to producers: that ruined the mood! Overall, as I mentioned earlier, POSSIBILITIES will probably connect with the listener who is more attracted to the guest list than the star, albeit to whatever extent that Herbie is heard, he sounds in fine form. This long-time Hancock fan obviously hopes for a bit more when buying his albums, but I'd say POSSIBILITIES comes across as a pretty effective pop culture mixtape (with Hancock as the link to all cuts).

5 out of 5 stars

Snobbery seems to be the only reason not to love this disc September 24, 2005
34 out of 39 found this review helpful

The reviewers that do not like for the most part are true jazz purists. They have an indignance about this that reminds me of Bob Dylan being booed the first time he pulled out his electric guitar at a folk festival in the mid 60's. Come on this is great stuff. One of the best songs John Mayer has ever recorded is the discs opener "Stitched Up". The keyboards are killer. This song is a turn it up real loud and drive down the coast highway on a sunny day kinda song. At least it was until gas started climbing to 5 bucks a gallon. Don't turn that cd player down yet. The next song has Carlos Santana and Angelique Kidjo joining Herbie. If you don't move to this song, you're dead. the disc's biggest surprise is the third cut with Christina Aguilera singing Leon Russel's classic "Song For You". OK, here's my snobbery showing but who would have thought she had those pipes. Been a long time since I'd heard a "Song For You" and I love Herbie's arrangement. Paul Simon's colloboration is surprisingly the discs weakest collaboration. The disc has two other standout tracks. Annie Lennox is the only artist that I know of where everything she's done for the last quarter century has been a constent improvement over her earlier work. "Hush, Hush, Hush" is a great little Annie Lennox fix until her follow up to "Bare". "When Love Comes to Town" teams up Jonny Lang and Joss Stone for a bluesy rendition of the U2 song. It is my second favorite song to John Mayer's. They could do the entire grammy show with this cast of performers. Hell, maybe they will.

5 out of 5 stars

Possibilities is an unique album of great music by a variety of performers August 31, 2005
18 out of 22 found this review helpful

I love it when musicians collaborate on an album like this, because it gives me a chance to listen to performers I know very little about. It is wonderful to see a legend like Herbie Hancock on the music scene again. I have been a fan of his music since I heard the song RockIt in the early 80s. My favorite track is When Love Comes to Town featuring blues guitarist Jonny Lang. I love his vocals and his guitar playing blew me away. I think John Mayer is one of most talented young artists out there, and I'm glad he makes a contribution here with the first track Stitched Up. The bass on this song sounds sexy and smooth. Safiatou is another one of my favorites on this album. Carlos Santana gives this track a nice latin flavor with his hypnotic guitar licks. Angelique sounds so good on vocals here too. I think this is a nice song to dance to. There is a track on here entitled Sister Moon performed by Sting. This song has a very groovy bass beat sound that sounds so smooth. I think Herbie compliments Sting's vocals superbly on the keyboard here. I love Raul Midon's version of I Just Called To Say I Love You. It has a slower tempo than the original. I think this version is just as pretty though. I enjoyed Stevie Wonder's harmonica playing on this track too. Pop diva Christina Aguilera lends her incredible vocal talents on the track A Song For You. This is a very pretty song. I think Herbie accompanies her well on the piano keyboard. Don't Explain is a lovely song performed by Lisa Hannigan. Herbie's piano playing gives this song a very subtle romantic quality. I really enjoyed listening to this CD, and I would recommend it to anyone.

1 out of 5 stars

The Bigger They Are... September 15, 2005
15 out of 24 found this review helpful

Herbie Hancock, the jazz giant who proved 30 years ago that crossover-jazz does not have to equal "crap" on his legendary electric albums, returns to the fold with the soulless, uninspired "Possibilities." In his "Headhunters" heyday, Hancock knew to borrow all the best elements of pop music -memorable melodies and hooks, fascinating hi-tech electronics, sweaty grooves that young people could dig, mysterious and alluring packaging/visuals - and use them to his advantage within the context of the improvised jazz music he had mastered, creating something bold, new and refreshing.

On "Possibilities" Herbie incorporates instead everything that has become wrong with modern pop since those happier days. Songwriting which seems forced and laborious. Boring, pedestrian production. Safe, predictable marketing gestures (in this case everything shamelessly directed at the "Starbucks" demographic). Bland, aging celebrities. Flaccid jam-session renditions of standards such as "A Song For You," "When Love Comes to Town." A collaboration with the also-washed-up Carlos Santana which just sounds like Bad Santana. Last-minute xerox-level-bad album art. Everything you can think of.

And there are times when you really want it to be good. The track with Paul Simon for example seems as if it might be going somewhere interesting, until you realize this song is not meant to be atonal, the fact is that this song is just atonal - unintentionally - because it's just ... bad. It has no harmonic or aesthetic direction of any kind. It's not good. It's like they didn't finish this song.

We want the collaboration with Christina Aguilera to be good. We want to hear her really sing "the blues." With the help of the wise Herbie Hancock - a jazz giant. We want her to not "suck," for the first time. We want Herbie to elevate Christina to a whole new level. But no. It sucks. It really sounds as if they're making it up, as they go along, and it's a failure. I can't believe how bad it is.

Only the collaboration with Annie Lennox amounts to anything. Only on this track is there any mood or feeling sustained whatsoever other than stone-faced blankness and emptiness. And incidentally that mood on that track happens to be a downer.

I have heard this album again and again. We are trying to sell it at our store, we are trying to enjoy it. But it isn't selling, and we aren't enjoying it.

Herbie, we WANT a good crossover album. When we heard you were doing a crossover album, we were excited. Even though you're older, and probably a little out of touch, and even though we heard Damien Rice and Trey Anastasio are on it, we had faith in you. I'm speaking for pop fans here. We're no jazz snobs. We loved it when you "sold out" in the 70's. It was great. We want a good crossover album, Herbie, but "Possibilities" is not it.

5 out of 5 stars

Endless possibilities! September 29, 2005
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

I had read about this CD long before it was released and was excited to see Herbie Hancock would be collaborating with quite a few of my favourites; Stevie Wonder, Joss Stone, Santana, John Mayer, Annie Lennox and Sting to name a few. Comprising mostly covers with a couple of co-writes by Hancock, and the talents of the featured guests, however, I must confess, there was also the slight nagging fear that it might turn out to be some glossy, over produced commercial pop shlock.

One listen tells you this isn't so. Classy production, the vocal or instrumental skills of the guests which do not detract from, or overshadow the excellent piano playing of the man himself, make for a beautiful musical experience.

My favourites have got to be the lush, drawn out jazzy, totally transformed performance of `I just called to say I love you' featuring Raul Midon on vocals and Stevie Wonder on Harmonica on the last minute and a half of the song, and a beautifully melancholic piano sprinkled version of Billie Holliday's `Don't explain' featuring Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan (what a voice she has and excellent phrasing) on dreamy vocals, a beautiful weeping cello solo, and almost-not-there shuffling percussion. My absolute favourite!

`Gelo na montanha' is a Hancock co-composition, a beautiful instrumental number with guitar (and Ooo vocals) from Trey Anastasio (formerly of Phish). Opening track is the Hancock/Mayer composition `Stitched up' featuring John Mayer on guitar and vocals, sounding a wee bit like a piano laden Sting number. 'When Love Comes To Town' featuring Jonny Lang and Joss Stone is a blues-y take on the U2 song.

Other standouts include `A song for you' featuring the fiery vocals of Christina Aguilera (she should sing more stuff like this), `I do it for you' featuring the delicate vocals of Paul Simon, `Sister moon' featuring Sting, `Hush, hush, hush' featuring Annie Lennox, and the latin tinged percussion rich `Safiatou' featuring Santana on guitar and African singer Angelique Kidjo on vocals (and which wouldn't sound out of place on a Santana CD).

Great liner notes tell us a bit of Hancock's musical feats and influences, as well as the inspiration behind, and recording of the tracks.

Brilliant!!!

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