A Hot Night In Paris
Phil Collins is regularly thrashed in the press for playing it safe and churning out predictable dependable music for yuppies. He was once accused of being "a rich superstar whose music only sounded good in a BMW." OnA Hot Night in Paris, Collins again jumps into the shallow end of the pool and comes up playing Le Jazz Hot, with a 20-member band including aCount Basiearranger and some old-timers he borrowed fromBuddy Rich's band to augment his regular players. To his credit, Collins worked out to a video designed for jazz drummers to get in shape for the project, but his muscular timekeeping lacks the color and subtleties of players born to the art form. Also, there is very little of what he does best: singing. The only vocals on this album are a few grunts and moans during an almost-note-perfect rendering of theAverage White Band's funk classic, "Pick up the Pieces," which almost rescues the album from banality. Thrown in for recognition value are instrumental renditions of some of his better knownsolo chart-toppers, such as "Sussudio," "I Don't Care Anymore," and "Against All Odds." But more surprising, the formerGenesisskinbeater threw in four numbers from the rock band's extensive songbook, including a swing version of the eccentric "Los Endos Suite." The only thing missing from this CD, recorded live in Paris and Montreux, is the clinking ofcocktailglasses.--Jaan Uhelszki