Released: March 1
Coinciding with his ‘Big Swing Tour’, Tony Hadley gets in the mood with a 10-song collection of inspired covers and cool originals underpinned by instrumentation that rivals his powerful vocals.
Opening with a reimagined rendition of The Doors’ Touch Me, it’s a move that feels wholly intentional, with the ex-Spandau Ballet frontman keen to set his latest release apart from other albums in the big band category.
Picking up on the brass of the original with added kick this time around, Hadley’s inner Jim Morrison and Frank Sinatra trade-off on a recording that not only highlights the strength of his vocal performance more than four decades into his career, but also serves as a reminder of his prowess as a leading man.
The self-penned, salsa-leaning Walk Of Shame proves his fine penmanship, delivering an anthem that stands tall alongside the standards on the record, while the contemplative Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered and smooth One For My Baby emphasise his versatility in taking the sound in various directions and hitting the mark each time.
As do the late-night jazz of I Wanna Be Around and larger-than-life Just A Gigolo, with Hadley’s voice the central thread running through the core of the LP.
Occasionally, ‘The Mood Im In’ ventures a little too far into familiar territory and the strength of his more inspired selections and original cuts is diminished by obvious choices that, while performed well, have become par for the course on albums such as this.
But that’s not to detract from the record as a whole, which is an undeniably polished body of work and a strong showing from the ‘80s pop icon who remains, four decades later, as in demand as ever and at the top of his game.
