No Ordinary World

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Possessed of one of the most distinctive voices of the rock era, Joe Cocker has largely made his mark by attacking other artists' songs with his shredded vocal grace and oft-inscrutable phrasing. Ironically, Cocker's has sustained his career in the 1980s and '90s largely by taming his throaty, raw power in service of increasingly tame balladry and hired-gun film work. Executive-produced by Cocker and longtime Tina Turner collaborator Roger Davies, this album soldiers on in that slick, perhaps overly professional tradition. The covers here range from pleasantly surprising (Leonard Cohen's dourly dramatic "First We'll Take Manhattan") to the superfluous (Steve Winwood's "While You See a Chance"), while the middle-of-the-road dynamics of the originals fare a bit better. Recent Cocker fans should be pleased, since his vocal prowess remains undiminished. It's his soul that seems to have mellowed; one can't help but wonder what Cocker might produce if he returned to the R&B grit of his roots. --Jerry McCulley

Tracks:

First We Take Manhattan
Different Roads
My Father's Son
While You See A Chance
She Believes In Me
No Ordinary World
Where Would I Be Now
Ain't Gonna Cry Again
Soul Rising
Naked Without You
Love To Lean On
On My Way Home
Lie To Me
Love Made A Promise

Amazon.com

Possessed of one of the most distinctive voices of the rock era, Joe Cocker has largely made his mark by attacking other artists' songs with his shredded vocal grace and oft-inscrutable phrasing. Ironically, Cocker's has sustained his career in the 1980s and '90s largely by taming his throaty, raw power in service of increasingly tame balladry and hired-gun film work. Executive-produced by Cocker and longtime Tina Turner collaborator Roger Davies, this album soldiers on in that slick, perhaps overly professional tradition. The covers here range from pleasantly surprising (Leonard Cohen's dourly dramatic "First We'll Take Manhattan") to the superfluous (Steve Winwood's "While You See a Chance"), while the middle-of-the-road dynamics of the originals fare a bit better. Recent Cocker fans should be pleased, since his vocal prowess remains undiminished. It's his soul that seems to have mellowed; one can't help but wonder what Cocker might produce if he returned to the R&B grit of his roots. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

I have not changed my mind?.......2001-10-21

I reviewed this latest Joe Cocker release several months ago[see import version], and I still have not changed my opinion or rating. The problem with online cd reviews is hardcore fans refuse to rate a product honestly. I am as big a Joe Cocker fan as you can find, but but I am not about to award this cd 5 stars and give it some sort of classic status like some prior reviews have? This cd is lightweight fluff compared to his more energized releases like "Unchain My Heart", "One Night Of Sin","Organic" or any of his late 60's or early 70's output. I have every Joe Cocker album ever made and "No Ordinary World" is without question one of his weakest releases in a recording career that spans over 30 years. I look forward to a little more gusto with his next release.

He sings your life..........2001-08-16

There are certain times when music speaks truth. Music that strikes you, as COL Kurtz reminds us, "Like a silver bullet...right between the eyes...".

Among those music experiences that mark a life: Jackson Browne "The Pretender"; The Who, "Quadrophenia"; Joe Cocker, "No Ordinary World".

It's a short list, a short life. Buy it and experience the feeling of anxiety, passion and wonderment of why we are here. Joe Cocker, like Bob Seger, expresses love, life, and emotion in a way that is difficult for most men. This is one you'll listen to on `repeat' for days at a time.

Joe has matured to a performer, a man who has powerful observations on his (and your) life ala Sade, "My Father's Son". Reminiscent of the sense of awe we felt hearing CSNY for the first time, to the anthems of Jefferson Starship, "First We Take Manhattan".

You cannot go home again, but you can mature in your reflections upon it.

Great CD!!.......2001-07-13

I just love this CD. Cocker is one of the few musicians whose later CD is just as fabulous as his earlier work. The more I listen to this CD, the more I love it :)

Heart Over Mind.......2001-01-05

Even when Joe Cocker is not at his best, he's still a fascinating singer. No Ordinary World is not his greatest work. However, there are a couple of flashes here which Cocker enthusiasts will want to include on your own Joe Cocker compilations. The first cut of Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan" is a jewel. It rocks and drives home Cohen's great melody. I wish I were a studio wizard and could overlay Jennifer Warnes' version with Joe's and get an "Up Where We Belong" replay of the mixing of these two great voices. The other truly brilliant track is "Lie To Me." Cocker's voice rides on a great guitar riff, propeled with a blazing organ and strong electric guitar. If you love Cocker, this cut is up there with his best work. I also really like "My Father's Son." The great "heart over mind" lyric gives a rocking ballad that feels fast and slow at the same time. The problem with much of the rest of the album is the lack of distinctiveness of the material. "Different Roads" sounds like a computer's attempt to write an anthem. "Ain't Gonna Cry Again" has such a forumla construction that it sounds trite. "Soul Rising" has a nice rocking build, but again seems like it was written by Wang. (computers!) "On My Way Home" is a passionate slow ballad with Cocker's empassioned vocals, but the keyboards wash over the mix and drown it. The almost-good material is still interesting. Cocker doesn't add much to Steve Winwood's "While You See A Chance" from Winwood's "Arc of a Diver," but it's a good tune which I'm glad to hear again. "Where Would I Be Now" is a soulful ballad sung with good conviction. The clangy guitars on the title track make it sound like the Byrds if they were raised in Alabama. "Naked Without You" is a big booming ballad with nice piano by Jason Rubello prominently mixed to give the song a classic feel. There are enough good moments here so that a Cocker fan can buy with confidence not to miss the high points, but this is more of an Ordinary World than I'd hoped to hear.

It's sad..........2000-11-16

It's sad to see a great talent like Joe Cocker go to waste on easy listening drivel like this. The voice is still there, but until he finds some decent material and hires a real band, don't bother.

Sound Of Music: Maxiplay Pops - Over 60 Minutes Of Music

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Sound Of Music: Maxiplay Pops - Over 60 Minutes Of Music

Manufacturer: Proarte
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

Sound Of Music/How Can Love Survive/The Lonely Goatherd/My ...
Dites-Moi/A Cockeyed Optimist/Some Enchanted Evening/There Is ...
Waltz Suite: Lover/The Most Beautiful Girl in the Worl/Oh, What a Beau - Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
March of the Siamese Children
Lover
Victory at Sea Suite - Sergiu Comissiona, Houston Symphony Orchestra
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

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No Ordinary Planet
Mind Pilots
Manufacturer: Terra Nova UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000250YR
Release Date: 2002-01-08

Tracks:

No Ordinary Planet
Cruel World
Waiting for You
Bad for You
Wrong Side
Another Love
Heart of Stone
Sleepwalking
Shoot the Moon

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