Judie Tzuke was one of the earliest signings to Elton John's Rocket label and I think that should have been a warning in itself. By the time Elton had managed to extricate himself from the shackles of his contract at DJM, his partnership with Bernie Taupin was long past its best. Therefore, his concept of what constituted popular music must have been suspect.
Tzuke has an absolutely beautiful voice. Replete with emotion and capable of wringing expression out of the most insipid of chord changes, she cannot be faulted. However, her songwriting lets her down badly. In fact, from my viewpoint, it's a terminal condition. I was first attracted to Welcome To The Cruise by the single "Stay With Me Till Dawn"; still a poignant, moving ballad. If Tzuke had managed to maintain the same emotional depth on this album I may have been more receptive, but there are few lyrical insights, little melody and not much else which grabs the attention.
I've been trying to think of modern day equivalents to Tzuke and can only come up with the likes of Katie Melua. It's the same sort of pristine, yet anodyne, approach to music. You can tell an awful lot of effort has gone into the making of this album. The musicianship is note perfect – co-writer Mike Paxman's guitar solo on the title track being the perfect case in point. The production and mixing – mainly by John Punter – is flawless. The musical contribution by all concerned is clean and fresh and clearly delineated. Tzuke's voice is crystalline perfection throughout. Even the quality of the packaging (sleeve design by Hipgnosis) and the superiority of the vinyl itself can't be faulted. But it all comes to naught if the songs themselves fail to engage.
Besides "Stay With Me Till Dawn", only the lovely, mainly a cappella, "For You" and the bouncy "Southern Smiles" provide any sort of interest. The rest is a mix of sanitised jazz, sterile pop and sleepy ballads that wash over the listener without leaving the vestige of a memory.
There's no doubting that Judie Tzuke can sing. She has as a seemingly effortless ability to make her voice soar and swoop like she's riding the thermals but, if nothing else, Welcome To The Cruise proves that a good voice does not an album make.
Side A
A1. Welcome To The Cruise - 4:58
A2. Sukarita - 3:26
A3. For You - 2:40
A4. These Are The Laws - 4:41
A5. Bring The Rain - 5:05
Side B
B1. Southern Smiles - 3:51
B2. Katiera Island - 5:12
B3. Ladies Night - 4:02
B4. New Friends Again - 2:42
B5. Stay With Me Till Dawn - 3:55
Musicians
- Judie Tzuke – vocals
- Mike Paxman – guitar solos on tracks 1 and 10, acoustic guitar on track 7, percussion on track 4, additional backing vocals on tracks 2, 6 and 9
- Ray Russell – guitar, string and brass arrangements on tracks 1, 4, 7-9
- Chris Parren – keyboards on tracks 1, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10, piano on track 5
- Paul Hart – keyboards on track 2, string quartet arrangements on track 3
- Mo Foster – bass on tracks 2, 4-7, 9 and 10
- Roy Babbington – bass on track 1, acoustic bass on track 5
- Peter Van Hooke – drums on tracks 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10
- Barry De Souza – drums on tracks 1 and 5
- Simon Phillips – drums on track 2
- John Punter – percussion on tracks 4-6, 9
- Morris Pert – marimba on track 6, percussion on track 7
- Kesh Satche – tabla on track 1
- Ray Warleigh – soprano saxophone on track 7
- Paul Buckmaster – string arrangements on track 5 and 10
- Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader on tracks 1, 4 and 8
- Richard Studt – orchestra leader on tracks 5 and 10
- Steve Nye – piano notes
- Production
- John Punter – producer, engineer (vocal parts), mixing
- Lem Lubin – producer on "Sukarita and "For You"
- Steve Nye, Colin Fairley – engineers
- Tim Cuthberson – assistant engineer
Notes
Release: 1979
Format: LP
Genre: Pop, Yacht Rock
Label: The Rocket Record Company
Catalog# 9103 507
Prijs: €4,99
Vinyl: VG
Cover: VG
http://www.ad-vinylrecords.com/product/tzuke-judie-welcome-to-the-cruise-lp/
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