There is a long history of actors trying their hand at singing and vice versa. Sinatra was not a bad actor, and even won an Oscar, while Elvis didn’t and it is hard to imagine a parallel dimension where he would have. Inversely some actors have recorded songs and shown that they had hidden talents. Robert Mitchum springs to mind and, if you haven’t already got them, his albums are genuinely well worth a listen and although Marilyn Monroe was hardly the greatest of singers she could still sing about her friendship with diamonds and entertain.
Then of course there are the numerous vanity projects that work, but will never set the world on fire, Hugh Laurie and Alexander Armstrong spring to mind. Examples of record labels looking for novelty records and the chance to make some easy money without having to spend a fortune to promote some new act. ‘You know the name, now buy the album’.
Next up are some that are ill advised ventures showing that some advisors and managers should be sacked. Barbara Windsor’s album is so bad it is pure comedy gold and make me think of the episode of Only Fools and Horses which features a singer with a speech impediment. Minnie Driver proved that she should have stuck to acting and I have met many people who have seen Johnny Depp play guitar and they have given me conflicting opinions on his talent and having seen some YouTube clips of him I can certainly say that he has enthusiasm. Bless!
That all leads me onto Jeff Goldblum (and the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra) with his latest album Still Blooming. This a collection of easy listening jazz standards which are delivered well, in a style that is neither overly showy nor understated. The ensemble, and Jeff’s keyboard skills, are acceptable with moments where he, and his band, sound like the James Taylor Quartet; although that could be solely down to Joe Baggs’s organ style.
The Sonny Clark instrumental Blue Minor is perhaps the best of the instrumental bunch but Thelonious Monk’s Bye-Ya has moments of heat thanks to the playing of James King on sax and Ryan Shaw’s enthusiastic drumming.
There are guest vocalists who all shine and make it a delicious smoothie. As she is not on any of my music playlists it is probably the first time I have heard Ariane Grande sing and her rendition of I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) is beautiful and The Best is Yet to Come shows that Scarlett Johansson is sultry in more ways than one and she has hidden depths that go beyond wearing black leather catsuits in Marvel films.
To me, the best track of the whole album is Stella by Starlight, featuring Maiya Sykes. A great jazz song delivered with passion and style. Eventually, on the final track, it is time for Jeff Goldbum to sing the Cole Porter standard Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye and my thoughts on hearing this were “Just walk away from the mic and nobody gets hurt!” His ‘singing’ emphasized that he was a good pianist and great actor. Not quite up there with Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia but with a few more lessons he could reach those dizzy heights of terror inducing crooning. Thankfully the rest of his orchestra manage to carry the tune and save it from being a complete disaster but it is hard to totally ruin a Cole Porter song without a great deal of effort. If only they’d been able to be honest with their boss and point out his failings, but they are probably paid to play and not give opinions.
But, if we are generous with the final track and do not condemn the whole thing for one man’s vanity, then I must admit that this is a pretty good album. The sort of music I would play late in an evening when it is dark and there is nothing worth watching on the TV or if I just wanted to sit on the sofa, drink in hand, and unwind I could put this in my CD player. It is not the greatest smooth jazz album ever made but I wouldn’t walk out of the room if someone was playing it in their house.
TRACK LISTING
01. I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) (3:44)
02. The Grease Patrol (5:53)
03. We’ll Meet Again (4:14)
04. Blue Minor (4:32)
05. The Best Is Yet To Come (4:31)
06. Bye-Ya (4:53)
07. Stella By Starlight (4:23)
08. Bouncing With Bud (2:52)
09. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (4:43)
Total Time – 39:49
MUSICIANS
Jeff Goldblum – Piano, Vocals (9)
James King – Tenor Saxophone
Scott Gilman – Tenor Saxophone
John Storie – Guitar
Joe Bagg – Organist
Alex Frank – Bass
Kenny Elliott – Drums
~ With:
Ariana Grande – Vocals (1)
Cynthia Erivo – Vocals (3)
Scarlet Johansson – Vocals (5)
Miaya Sykes – Vocals (7)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Decca Records
Country of Origin: USA
Date of Release: 25th April 2025
