Summer in the City: Live in New York

AMG Review of Summer in the City: Live in New York

Ross Boissoneau
All Music Guide

The chameleonic Jackson is reunited with longtime bandmates Graham Maby (bass and vocals) and Gary Burke (drums) for this trio date, recorded live in August 1999. The opening "Summer in the City" promises much, and the album delivers. While the three don't always play to a song's strengths ("You Can't Get What You Want," for one, misses the full-band treatment), this release does showcase Jackson's piano and the group's interplay. The trio bounces through several Jackson originals, including "Fools in Love," "Down to London," and a medley including "Be My Number Two" and "You Can't Get What You Want," as well as classics like "Mood Indigo," "Eleanor Rigby," and the title track. On this album, Jackson proves not only that he has not abandoned classic pop songs or his own pop hits, but that he is performing them better than ever.