These days people my age (mid 50's) are hard pressed to find any worthwhile new recordings to purchase. That is why I usually revert to buying anthologies. Joe Cocker's new studio release "Heart and Soul" is just about the best new album I have heard come down the pike in quite some time. To begin with, Joe Cocker is not some aging rocker whose skills have diminished and is just trying to hang on. Rather, Joe Cocker is still a very viable artist who according to my ears has not lost it one bit.

"Heart and Soul" offers the listener a dozen outstanding tracks including Joe's brand new single release "One" which was written by U2. Nice tune. Most of the rest of "Heart & Soul" features new arrangements of some very familiar hits sung in the inimitable Cocker style. I found Joe's treatment of the old Ben E. King classic "I (Who Have Nothing)" to be absolutely stunning. I also was moved by his rendition of James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" and by "Every Kind of People" a hit made famous by Robert Palmer in the late 1970's. A very underrated song! Joe Cocker also does a surprisingly fine job on Marvin Gaye's groundbreaking composition "What's Going On". And I would be remiss if I failed to mention his terrific remake of the old Screamin' Jay Hawkins song "I Put A Spell On You". Joe is one of only a handful of artists who could pull off that one off!

So whether you are in the market for some brand new music or find this disc attractive simply for old times sake "Heart and Soul" is sure to tickle your fancy. Unlike the embarrassing stuff Rod Stewart is churning out these days Joe Cocker has turned out an album he can really be proud of. I am quite confident it is a disc that you will play again and again. Highly recommended!!!

Every couple of months I treat myself to about a half-dozen or so CDs. I bought this one in my last batch, the only problem with is I played it first and I can't get past it. It's been on continuous rotation, especially the second song "I (Who Have Nothing)." I never particularly cared for this song, it's too schlocky for the tastes of a screaming electric blues fan. But Mr. Cocker takes this song, bounces it off of his adenoids, and zeros it straight into my Heart and Soul. I equate Joe's voice to life itself. If you've managed to get the remnants of your s**t together, life is rough but beautiful, appealing but hard to describe, in tune but not for the faint of heart, soul finding after a long hard search, and blue to the brink of tears while you thrust your fist in the air and shout "Yeah, gimme more." Great job Joe, nice to see that us middle-aged old farts can still get down. Maybe someday I'll have my fill of this album and get around to listening to my other new CDs.

I've been a Joe Cocker fan since Woodstock. I've always thought of him as a rocker. I'm also a huge blues fan and I must admit that I never noticed until Heart & Soul that Joe is one of the best blues singers around today and in that I include someone like Jonny Lang. His cover of One (both the in studio and live versions) is incredible. Sorry, U2, Joe now "owns" that song. Anyone who can take a Tom Jones song (I Who Have Nothing) and make it a blues tune has to be a genius. Plus with the situation in Iraq, Joe does a heartfelt, emotional and most timely version of What's Going On. While taking away nothing from R.E.M., his cover of Everybody Hurts is also world class. With his raspy voice, it sounds like a different song. Thanks, Joe.

I've been listening to Joe Cocker since the 70s, and he could sing the telephone directory and I'd probably still find something to enjoy about it. Having said that, any longtime fan of Joe will know that the quality of his recordings has varied considerably, and some of his albums just haven't been all that memorable.

I think "Heart and Soul" deserves to stand proudly among Joe's best albums, and I consider it to be his best since "Have A Little Faith." He has selected a superlative set of songs to record, and I think he pulls them off well. Some of the songs suffer a bit from production choices, and I find myself preferring the songs that have more real instruments and less programming.

Nevertheless, even where I'm not thrilled with the production approach, Joe's singing is as impassioned and soulful as ever. Very few singers could convincingly take on a song like Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," but Joe pulls it off and once again manages to make the song his own. Similarly, how many others could do "Chain of Fools" and not make you wish you were hearing Aretha Franklin's version instead? Again, Joe pulls it off beautifully.

At the other end of the spectrum, Joe can also take relatively lightweight fare such as James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" or Robert Palmer's "Every Kind of People" and have them seem right at home among the weightier material.

I have a feeling that years from now, this is going to be one of the Joe Cocker CDs that I still pull out and listen to regularly. If you are a fan and, like me, are intrigued by the song selection, give this album a try.

Joe Cocker can still make an entertaining album. Great mix of songs!

I like the arrangements of many of these songs, and Joe Cocker with his huge talent is able to use his more limited vocal range well.

The main complaint I have is that some of the instruments sound programmed and sampled. But overall worth owning and listening to.