Aaron Neville’s solo vocal performances take a more tender tone than the fiery funk he cranks out with The Neville Brothers. On his latest release, Nature Boy, a fine album of vocal standards, his fluttering tenor shines. Neville clarifies that his early musical inspiration wasn’t just the street funk that shaped early Neville Brothers hits like 1966’s “Tell It Like It Is.”
“I grew up listening to gospel and jazz vocals,” says Neville, “ Nat King Cole, Clyde McPhatter, ’In the Still of the Night,’ Kay Starr’s ‘The Wheel of Fortune.’ I was into just about any kind of music that caught my ear.”
It was somewhat by chance that Neville came to record standards in a traditional jazz setting. “Me and my brother Charles have been talking about doing standards for a couple of years. Ron Goldstein heard me do ‘These Foolish Things’ and thought it would be a great idea for me to sing some things from the Great American Songbook. It was a no-brainer, something I wanted to do. I guess the cards were just falling into place, you know.”
Nature Boy was recorded swiftly—three days of sessions in New York City with A-list backing. “The guys in the studio were into it like a labor of love” says Neville. “Rob Mounsey (producer/arranger/keyboards) didn’t elaborate with the music; he made it like a cushion for my voice. It was just great—I call Grady Tate and Ron Carter some hard hitters at the bat.” Other guests include Michael Brecker, Anthony Wilson, Ry Cooder, Roy Hargrove and Linda Ronstadt.
The album’s track list reads like a dream jukebox in a cozy jazz lounge—“Cry Me A River”, “The Shadow of Your Smile”, “Come Rain or Come Shine.” Released in September, Nature Boy quickly jumped to #1 on the Billboard traditional jazz chart. For Neville, the news created an amazing feeling. “I love the songs, I love the style,” he says “As a matter of fact, I’m getting songs together for the next one.”