Volkswagon’s Herbie
Herbie Hancock
Possibilities
(Hear)
On this star-studded effort (Sting, John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Damien Rice), erstwhile jazzman Herbie Hancock tries to stretch his marketing bounds and relevance.
Hancock has flirted with pop before, albeit usually on his own terms. From his fusion/funk Head Hunters era to aspirations of pure jazz/pop standardisms, his intentions have seldom been questioned, though the breadth of combos here strains the idea. When the liners state “what if he made a shortlist of artists he admired . . . been curious about?” you can’t help but wonder if his tastes are actually more discriminating than whom he ended up with here. Nevertheless, he’s trying to be Santana — who also appears here — on Possibilities, and the results don’t vary.
Truthfully, the only guest on Possibilities seems to be Hancock himself; any fan of the selected partners (also including Annie Lennox, Paul Simon, blind guitarist/soul singer Raul Midón, Joss Stone with Jonny Lang) wouldn’t find their interest stretching. But to answer your question, Yes, that is a cover of “I Just Called To Say I Love You” with Midón, and No, it isn’t good.
— Steve Forstneger
