Respect Yourself
Joe Cocker's ability to charge songs with passion, drama, and emotion is legendary. He first gained acclaim for turning theBeatles' sentimental "With a Little Help from My Friends" into a spine-tingling epic. On a good day, he can make a shopping list soar. It's a rare talent thatRespect Yourself, his 20th studio album, depends on. The smoldering "Love Not War" and fantastically overblown soul stomper "You Can't Have My Heart" are undeniably brilliant, as Cocker puts his bluesy growl to spectacular use. There are plenty of vague rockers, too, including "This Is Your Life" and "Leave a Light On," which find Cocker working overtime to make them exciting. Invariably, he pulls it off, even managing to make the bluesy "I'm Listening Now" sound brooding and heartfelt. While most of the album's covers--includingRandy Newman's blear-eyed "Everytime It Rains" and the swaggering title track--are prime for the Cocker treatment, his exaggerated bluster clumsily tramples the tender beauty ofINXS's "Never Tear Us Apart." Still, it's the only must-skip moment in a mixed bag that proves Cocker remains a potent force.--Dan Gennoe