Al sails through a sea of microphones in Lancaster, PA on a soulful journey - Summer 2009 Latest Update NOV 11th 2009  F L A S H !! Al on the radio 100.3 The Sound in LA on Sunday Jan 17th at 6 PM PST (9 PM EST) Al hosts the My Turn weekly show that allows the host to DJ and play whatever he/she would like. Hear some of Al's obscure faves as 100.3 is accessed streaming LIVE on Sunday http://thesoundla.com/?nid=39&sid=286 Remember 1/17  6 PM West Coast Time / 9 PM East Coast Time   Sign up for Al's email updates Email Address: NOTICE!!  Please sign up for the mailing list using the subscribe link above. The mailing list was lost, so even if you've signed up in the past, please SIGN UP AGAIN! FREE Full Interactive Booklet for 50/50 Album!!   If ya wanna see EVERYTHING about the 50/50 album, downlaod this zipfile. After you unzip the file, make sure you open the regular file with Adobe Reader preferably version 9, as it is a .pdf file. If you make it a fullscreen file, you won't have to squint & curse me out !! If you have not purchased the album, it is only available as a download on iTunes, fer instance - 50 songs for 24.99 - SUCH A DEAL!!!! Have fun either way. click here Free Video!!  To See Al's homemade video of his Italy/Scandinavian tour, click here. Quicktime users can download the movie by clicking here Obscurativa Radio Shows Now Available! Click here _____________   Welcome to Al Kooper's Website where we hope you find your way to all things Al. We are constantly upgrading and tweaking, so visit often and you'll always find a little surprise here or there. Feel free to sign our guest book and help create a cyber-mailing-list. Among some of the goodies onboard are Al's personal Top 100, diaries from various road trips, Al's guide through his various solo albums, rare photos, up-to-date live concert info, a biography, and lots more stuff on the way. Al's autobiography, "Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards" (Billboard Books-USA) was published in November, 1998. For more info on the book and some rave reviews, click here. With the exception of the "Landlord" soundtrack album, all of Al's albums are in print on CD! There aren't many in print in the USA, mind you, but with a little cyber-sleuthing import shops and online vendors can usually turn up a fresh laser copy of your favorite dog-eared Kooper LP. Al would also like to take this opportunity to thank his ole buddy Elliott Randall, guitarist extraordinaire, for being the webmaster/codewarrior on this site. See? And you thought he only played guitar! So, sit back and hopefully, everything you ever wanted to know about Al Kooper but were afraid to ask, will come leaping at you from your monitor in due time. Thanks for visiting and please return on a regular basis for updates and new goodies! UPDATE- NOVEMBER 11, 2009 Yeah, yeah, I know...... it certainly has been awhile. I had an assistant that was helping me and she quit and I couldn’t find anyone to help me with the website. And it just kinda got away from me. But then the heavens parted and one of my long lost cousins popped up and offered his help and so we should all quietly thank Peter Kuperschmid for putting us all back in touch once again. Well there’s been a buncha gigs. Lancaster, PA and Albany NY with Dr. John, Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, NH and One Longfellow Square in Portland ME to name a few. I sat in with Levon Helm , Sarah Siskind, and Keb Mo in Boston and visited Brian Wilson a coupla times while he was in the Boston area. I am doing my usual West  Coast solo tour in January 2010 with stints in San Francisco, Fairfax (Marin), San Diego, Santa Monica, Anaheim and Seattle. Check out the individual dates under LIVE up top. It’s always great to escape the Eastcoast winter for a coupla Westweeks every January !!! Well Thanksgiving is coming up which means I get to roast that big-ass turkey stuffed with cornbread and hopefully get some of my brother-in-law Robert’s savory pumpkin cheesecake. Alway’s a fall highlight. I am slowly in prep on my next album which will feature a bit more blues than usual, just because I can. No release date yet but you know you’re always the first to know wassup. I’d like to thank all those folks who emailed in hoping my health was okay cause the website hadn’t been updated in seven months. Hopefully, we can get back to normal now. Always check this page for new additions to the website and don’t forget the webstore with CDs books and T-shirts always making good Xmas gifts. Okay I’m going back to work on my album arrangements now and I hope to see ya sooner than later. As I’ve often said: “If I don’t see ya in the future, I’ll see ya in the pasture...” Al Kooper   AL'S FIFTY FAVES OF 2009 So once again I’ve had to sift through hundreds of downloads to pick these gems for you. If I was a record label, a publisher,  or a dee-jay, I could  probably make a living  doing this, but I’m only compensating for not being able to go to record stores anymore to slake my musical taste. I pass it on to all of you in the holiday spirit. The running order is not based on quality, but actually  makes a great radio show spinning in this particular sequence. Kings & Queens of 2009 are Wilco and Kristina Train. Check ‘em ALL out and for $50 on iTunes you’ll have an amazing Xmas musical gift for yourselves. Happy everything - I’m off on tour in January /   AK 1.SPILT MILK/ Entire Album Kristina Train - This grows on ya when ya least expect it. In my opinion, if the record company wakes up, they’ll realize they have the heiress apparent to Dusty Springfield and steal some of Norah Jones advertising money. What a voice  !!! 2.  WILCO THE ALBUM 3:00 Wilco - Jeez, I waited for this like I used to wait for Elvis albums in the 50’s. I learned  more from the Elvis albums, but that don’t mean this aint a great listen. They keep getting better , damn it 3.Batoman 4:13 Amadou & Mariam -  I have belatedly gone berserk for African music in the last year. This is my favorite track in the genre. GREAT guitar playing !!! 4. Naked 4:00 The Trews - A well-known Canadian quartet  (with brothers that actually get along) this  Jack Douglas-produced goodie shows his Beatle lineage and makes ya wonder why they haven’t stormed the USA. 5. Chance 3:40 James Maddock - He’s young, English, and relocated to New York City. This is a track Springsteen wishes he had in his arsenal - a great song, arrangement & vocal all in one. As catchy as catchy can be. 6. Cello Song (feat. Jose Gonzalez) 3:54 The Books - It’s the GROOVE that grabs ya first, then ya slowly discover the rest. Wonderful listening. Gomez could have done this 7. Heavy Cross 4:03 Gossip - If you’re not on the Beth Ditto train, you’ve missed the boat. On their first major label album oroduced by Rick Rubin, they are at their modern, Joplin-esque best. Culturally, Beth has doublehandedly put plus size wimmens on top with with more  Vogue space than they’ve ever had before, Cheers !!!!! 8. Know Better Learn Faster 3:50 Thao -  I don’t know how a trio can reproduce this track live, but there’s always technology. On a small indie label, they are touring the world based on the music itself. Best of luck, mates !! PS. that’s a gal singing lead (I had NO idea) 9. Granddaddy 2:26 Beep Beep - With more line-up changes than Obama’s security force, Eric Bemberger’s gang forges on with a great track. 10. Kandi 4:03 One eskimO  - What a  concept - a tribute to the great R&B thrush Candi Staton’s ‘70’s output with Candi samples thruout. Some would prefer the real thing.... 11. Running Out of Love 2:33 Candi Staton - The real thing recording & releasing again in 2009  !!!  A voice that is ALWAYS welcome 12. Beautiful Freak 2:44 Phil Roy - An odball track that grows on you little by little. Quite inventive musically and well sung & arranged. 13.  Pay It Back 4:03 The Silent Years -  College pals from Detroit make some fine noise under the guise of indie rockers. Great brass & string parts on this catchy track. This has been a fave in 2009. 14. Lovin' You Is Sweeter Than Ever 3:46 Donna Gardier  -   There are MANY versions of this track but I kinda like the mood & groove of this one. Puts me in a good place. 15. Idris 3:49 The New Mastersounds -  This is vintage R&B instrumental time conjuring up the early 60’s. Right on the money. Well done, lads! 16. Hold On [feat. Lynette White] 4:28 Nigel Lewis - Reggae singer gets huge attack of vintage soul. No one’s the wiser and all parties party. 17. A Change Gonna Come 3:36 Urban Mystic - originally inspired by the Obama presidential slogan, this baby took on a life of it’s own and is now my second fave version after the Classic Cooke crooning... 18. Gunpowder 2:12 Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears A new group with a deep soul sound  recently formed in Austin, Tx. Really fun to see or dance to. 19. Find Me a Place 3:34 Jupiter One - You wouldn’t know it from THIS track, but many of their toons were used in video games ! This is just a great indie-pop song that caught my ear and would not let go. Originally from Austin as well, these guys relocated to Brooklyn for more snow & cold. 20. Barefoot Reel 4:06 Willy Porter -  Found Willy on iTunes 6 years ago. Went to see him live and joined the converted. Nice to hear another soul taking up the mandolin (besides myself) 21. Flower Petals 4:35 The Subdudes -  These guys play soul folk music and don’t mind. Nice to have a new album again, even if I played on a track or two.... 22. Maker (Acoustic) 5:27 Fink -  An Englishman well-versed in all musics, with a history in electronica and DJing, gravitated to folksy acoustic blues in 2006 and met with some success. Here’s why 23.  Black John 4:09 Soul Of Black John - Following his recording career and fascinated. He has all the right influences and is starting to make really good albums. This is my latest fave... 24. Balaclava 4:32 The Honeydogs - I heard these guys at SXSW many years ago  and we became friends. I played on their second album and always enjoy a new one by them. This is sorta Beatle-y but I have no idea about the title or the lyric. I asked Adam, the writer and he said : “You don’t wanna know - too gruesome!” Still - great guitars and great harmonies 25. I'll Give You A Ring 3:11 The Novaks - This one’s a litlle Stonesy - Bill Lloyd tipped me off to this and my thanks to him AND The Novaks for putting good music in my life. 26. Bodisattva Blues 3:56 7 Worlds Collide - This is nuts ! Neil Finn from Crowded House grabs Jeff  Tweedy, KT Tunstall, other Wilco lads as well as frothing Finn friends and they seriously collaborate and make an album like they’re a real band. It’s pretty damn good - this is my favorite track. 27. Mr. Soul 3:49 Rush - Yes, it’s the Neil Young/Buffalo Springfield song; yes it’s the Canadian prog rockers; what a surprise - Not A Joke ! 28. A Bower Scene 2:09 The Decemberists -  Half a song - 2 minutes long - Two verses - thankyouverymuch - Great production and arrangement  ( I have NO IDEA what the lyric is about) a good short listen however 29. Sally Go Round the Roses 4:22 Anny Celsi (feat. Evie Sands) Made noise with “Little Black Dress” about three years ago. This from her latest, a  cover of The Jaynettes classic but I can’t tell who’s Anny and who’s Evie. Maybe that’s good cause Evie’s a  classic. 30. St. Teresa 5:22 Joan Osborne -  I once complained the album from whence this track came was too ‘white’ for me, because I LOVE Joan’s r&b side. It  STILL is, but I do enjoy her vocal on this one. 31. So Long 3:59 Visqueen -  I can’t keep up with who is in this band. They come in & out like used Kleenex BUT this is a great song and honestly portrayed (whoever it is) 32. Midnight Train 5:57 The Tractors  - Make no mistake - this is Tulsa bluesbar music; but there’s nothing wrong with that (pause while you download this) is there ? 33. Hard Times 3:42 The Bottle Rockets -  Make no mistake - this is St. Louis bluesbar music; but there’s nothing wrong with that (pause while you download this) is there ? 34. Today 5:23 Todd Rundgren -  Todd’s back again and in great shape on this track. Nice guys aren’t finished  yet - get it Today 35. She Comes to Me In Dreams 4:09   Great Lake Swimmers Another Canadian band. The  instrumental track sounds a bit Fleetwood Buckingham, but the vocal approach is more Band-ish. Not a bad combo, actually 36. Hey, Soul Sister 3:37 Train - They have become a guilty pleasure as they are Top 40 oriented, but I am always seduced by at least 2 or 3 tracks on each album. Here’s the latest gooey listen (maybe it’s the madolin?) 37. Always Be My Baby 3:27 Brian McKnight - Smooth-as-silk soul from the always reliable McKnight. This one’s a step or two above the usual fine fare however - four stars for song, vocal, arrangement & production. 38. Daisy Chain 3:52 N'dambi -  This Texas-born protege of Erykah Badu  has emerged on the regenerated Stax label and with good reason. At first I thought it was a guy til I listened to the lyric and then saw a photo. A great female tenor with hopeful tenure. 39. Wear Me Out 2:37 Jesse Winchester  - It does my ears good to hear someone from the 60’s still poignant and right on target. A surprisingly good one from the Jess. 40. Nightwatchman (Live) 4:33 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers A comparatively recent crowd favorite and a natural for live inclusion. What can I say ? They still can rock it down. Three cheers for Benmont ! 41. Go Easy Little Doves, I'll Be Fine 3:59 Brooke Waggoner I’ve picked a few Brookes from the Lake of the Lost and this is no exception. She should be  on the wagon to the top. 42. The Only Night 3:38 James Morrison - A mere 25  with teenaged good looks, this UK lad has taken his country by storm. What will he do in the US with the name of a deceased handsome rockstar and a living  ‘legend’ wrestler ? 2010 will tell 43. The Garden of Even 2:21 The Drawing Room  - Modern music fer sure with prog roots. Extremely well done all around and quite listenable. Allegedly the musings of one man with help on live gigs. 44.  Come In from the Cold 4:31 George Benson A  Marc Broussard tune, well-covered by Benson on his latest album. I forget sometimes what a great talent he is. This is a gentle reminder 45. Honey Bee  [ The Fillmore 11/04/1966] 4:35 Muddy Waters This track has been recorded many times by Muddy over the years , but this version has Muddy’s best slide playing. Quite powerful comparatively 46. For Granted 4:04 Soulive This growing  jazz/r&b instrumental combo  gets better & better at doing it’s thing. In theirgenre they are movin’ on up. 47. Old Enough 4:20 Rickie Lee Jones -  We lost Laura Nyro but  RLJ continues to grow & mellow at the same time.  And she’s not old enough YET. The other singers (lead & harmony) are uncredited on the single - what’s new? Do I hear  James Taylor here ? 48.  Light a Roman Candle With Me 3:05 Fun - Can’t find a bio on this band cause of their plain name but they are just what they say they are. This track - a fun shuffle  - an enjoyable listen and a humorous lyric. 49.  Glass Paperweight 2:39 Winter Gloves - Canada has obviously become a hotbed of talent this year. These lads from Quebec  are produced quite well on this track.  Holds one ears quite well. Maybe thats how they got their name 50.  End of the Year 6:28 Other Lives - From Stillwater Oklahoma and produced by major music bizzer  Lenny Waronker's son Joey, this is very ambitious. There are at least  three songs within this six & a half minute epic masquerading as one. I remember back when there was music like this; boundary-less  and experimental - so why not now?  It’s the end of the year GRANDKIDS DECEMBER 2007 See the darkness of Al's domiciles - click here. "50/50" is now availalbe on iTunes, Rhapsody, etc. Full interactive booklet only available here. "...Al Kooper is a skilled musician who's had a hand in some of the biggest and best albums in pop history--Highway 61 Revisited, Let It Bleed, and The Who Sell Out among them--but more importantly has a vastly impressive recording catalog of his own. A former member of New York's Blues Project and the founder of Blood Sweat & Tears--whose Child Is Father To The Man album, the only one featuring Kooper, is one of the finest pop records ever--Kooper released a string of excellent albums beginning with 1968's I Stand Alone, and most of them can be sampled here. A 50-track digital only release, the set is artfully sequenced and without a single moment of filler. I would suggest you find all his albums--especially 1969's You Never Know Who Your Friends Are, which approaches the BS&T album in its greatness--but in the meantime, check out this collection for a taste of this artist's fab greatness. It's easier to file than ever!..." DAVE DIMARTINO,YAHOO MUSIC Febuary 18th, 2009

(L-R) Al, Dr. John & Ziggy Modeliste from The Meters do The Crescent City  Cha Cha in Albany, NY - We guess he likes that shirt! - Summer 2009   Al's new album "White Chocolate" is now available for purchase! Click here or go to store to place your order now. All copies will be signed! "...Coming just three years after Black Coffee, his first solo studio album of new material in three decades, White Chocolate (what's next, "Green Tea"?) is quite possibly the most satisfying solo release of this veteran's 50-year career. The title is the giveaway: Kooper has always championed classic soul music above all else, but now he's graduated from paying homage to his heroes of the '60s and '70s to absorbing their essence and personifying the music's most attractive qualities himself -- maybe this release falls short of equaling the best of Stax, Hi, or Philadelphia International (Kooper would no doubt admit to that), but not by much. Kooper has always made his best music when he holds the reins and here he not only self-produced and arranged, and of course sang the lead vocals, on some tracks he also played every instrument -- while Kooper's skills as a keyboardist are well established and his guitar work long underrated, he also puts down mandolin, percussion, string sounds, and more. Of course he did have help: several brass teams (including the Uptown Horns) and a vocal trio (including the great Catherine Russell) provide ace support. Various additional guitarists, bassists, and drummers flesh out the tracks but the focus never strays from Kooper himself. For starters, if he's ever enjoyed making a record this much before, you wouldn't know it: Kooper seems so at home here (and not just because most of the album was recorded at his Somerville, MA. home studio). His voice, at 65, has naturally weathered, but he can still hit the notes he needs to hit and never tries to sound like the brash twenty-something kid who recorded Super Session or Child Is Father to the Man. Yet despite the maturity of the music, there's an oversized quality to this recording and a set of instantly memorable melodies and hooks that make it Kooper's most blatantly radio-friendly album in years -- that is, if radio was anything close to what it was in 1968. Hear these songs a couple of times and you will swear you've known them all your life. But all of this is not to suggest this is a retro affair -- White Chocolate is exactly where Al Kooper should be right now. That's made clear from the first notes of opener "Love Time," as pure a slice of Southern soul/pop as the early 21st century can hope to produce. As the record unfolds, it becomes clearer that the lead track is no fluke: "I Love You More Than Words Can Say," penned by Booker T. Jones and Eddie Floyd back in the day, boasts some seriously funky chops and a tough guitar solo by Bob "Dyno" Doezema. A new take on Bob Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh (It Takes a Train to Cry)," which Kooper and Michael Bloomfield cut on the classic Super Session album 40 years previously, is presented here as a rolling, brassy, souled-up shuffle. And Kooper had to love cutting his song "Staxability," a tribute to the legendary Stax Records of Memphis, with no less than Steve Cropper on guitar and Donald "Duck" Dunn of Booker T. & the MG's on bass. Kooper gets to shout "Play it, Steve!," a line familiar to any fan of vintage soul, and actually gets to hear Cropper do just what he's asked. In addition to his blue-eyed-soul pedigree, Kooper has always possessed a sharp sense of pop songcraft (he wrote "This Diamond Ring," the huge hit for Gary Lewis & the Playboys), and the chance to co-write two tunes for the album with Gerry Goffin (as in Goffin & King) had to be another dream come true for him. Those two are among the album's highlights: the smooth "You Make Me Feel So Good (All Over)" may not have more than a simple message to offer, but sometimes that's all that's needed to make the connection. And "No 1 2 Call Me Baby," with its phalanx of layered instruments and vocals, is almost Spectorian in its grandness. Other key tracks include the semi-autobiographical "Cast the First Stone," a statement on the politics of our times (of all times?) and how we all fit into those games; a gutsy, bluesy cover of Fred Neil's "Candy Man" (made famous by Roy Orbison); Kooper's interpretation of the Leiber & Stoller/Ben E. King perennial "I (Who Have Nothing)"; the set-closing, gospel-fied "(I Don't Know When But) I Know That I'll Be There Soon" (complete with Farfisa organ and accordion); and "Hold On," a tune of hope and self-determination that offers vocal thrills a-plenty when the powerhouse Russell takes lead on a verse and Kooper counters in his finest falsetto. White Chocolate can serve as a primer for Social Security-age rockers who still think the spandex fits. News flash: it doesn't..." JEFF TAMARKIN ( blog.allmusic.com) Febuary 16th, 2009 "...It can't be that easy being Al Kooper. When your talent allows you to chase off in so many directions, how do you decide which one to follow? The answer for Kooper, clearly, is you don't decide. You go after them all. White Chocolate is somewhat of an answer to his last studio album Black Coffee, and shows the gifted musician walking the blue-eyed soul side of the road, veering off into Brill Building pop shadings and paying a nod to his Bob Dylan roots on "It Takes a Lot to Laugh (It Takes a Train to Cry)." The amazing feat the veteran musician accomplishes is how seamless he makes it all sound. But a quick check of Al Kooper's resume shows how it couldn't be any other way: from being a member of the Royal "Short Shorts" Teens, co-writer of Gary Lewis & the Playboys' "This Diamond Ring" hit to founder of the Blues Project and early instigator of Blood, Sweat & Tears, discoverer and producer of Lynyrd Skynyrd along with endless solo albums and sessions with stellar lights like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Michael Bloomfield, Stephen Stills and others, it's as if this is the Zelig of the rock crowd, except Kooper was often the most talented person in the room. So it's no surprise this new album hits all his sweet spots head on. The opening song, "Love Time," sounds like an instant classic, with Kooper's seductive voice and bedroom moves getting down to immediate business. Hopefully Al Green is listening. There's also a handful of other offerings equally great, and right at the end on "(I Don't Know When But) I Know That I'll Be There Soon," the man does it again, turning in a holy roller performance straight out of the church of eternal soul, making White Chocolate the gift that keeps on giving..." BENTLEY'S BANDSTAND (sonicboomers.com) - January 13th, 2009 "Perhaps the single most entertaining rock book of the year." DALLAS OBSERVER "He combines humor, insight and history into a fun, quick read." MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "The book is put together like after-dinner conversation with someone who has been at the center of rock and roll for forty years. Read Kooper to get what you need!" PLAYBOY MAGAZINE "Vonnegut-esque...." ROLLING STONE "This is a man who lives for music and seems to attract outrageous and often hilarious experiences in the process. His tales are both wonderfully crazed and technically fascinating.." EQ MAGAZINE "From his work on Bob Dylan's classics to the best of The Rolling Stones, Al Kooper has been a musical Forrest Gump, turning up at many of the great historical moments in rock 'n' roll. Now a professor at Berklee, he looks back at his tumultuous life as a rock star..." BOSTON MAGAZINE "So who's Al Kooper? He's not only a funny guy whose life story is a you-just- can't-put-it-down read......Kooper is one of the greatest behind-the-scenes performers and producers in rock music history. Read and watch your jaw drop!" RAPID CITY (SD) JOURNAL "Al Kooper's Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'n' Roll Survivor (Billboard Books) is an oasis of insight, humor and irreverence in the overstuffed wasteland of rock autobiographies." CHICAGO TRIBUNE "This is above all, an entertaining read.....Kooper is a funny guy, an equal opportunity puncturer of pretension, including his own....Wherever rock history was being made, he (Kooper) was in the vicinity....." MOJO MAGAZINE (UK) **NOW AVAILABLE** click here ".....At 61, almost no one alive has lived as much rock 'n' roll history as Mr. Kooper in his assorted lives as performer, producer, sideman, songwriter, author, talent scout, enthusiast, critic and muse...." SUNDAY NEW YORK TIMES - July 3rd 2005 “....Now, this sixty-one-year-old seems to be hitting his stride as a solo artist. Backed by his band, The Funky Faculty, Kooper has gone back to the future with a release that delivers heartfelt soul and R&B.” *** ROLLING STONE – ISSUE #981 – AUGUST 25, 2005 "... Kooper reminds us that he is a major talent from the revelatory songwriting, to the nuanced world-weary singing to the ease in which he plumbs the subterranean depths of his soul and comes up with sheer gold. A career-defining work…..” (4 Stars)" MOJO MAGAZINE. UK Chalk “Black Coffee” up as a major comeback from one of the most vital musicians and most fascinating characters of his generation. NEWHOUSE NEWS SERVICE Kooper's stature as an exemplary producer and indispensable sideman is insurmountable; with Black Coffee, he shows he can apply that same incredible expertise to his own cause. Grade: A (Brian Baker) - CINCINNATTI CITY BEAT “Considered one of the most formidable talents in modern music, he’s played a key role in tens of millions of albums and singles sold in the last forty years.” MUSIC CONNECTION MAGAZINE 9/20/05 “Mister Everywhere is back in biz!” BALTIMORE BLUES SOCIETY AUGUST 2005 “The sane person’s Phil Spector - Al Kooper - is back with a much-too-rare collection of Southern soul, R&B blues, and white person’s funk!” OTTAWA (CA) CITIZEN SEPTEMBER 3 2005 “Kooper is the consumate performer - he deftly incorporates Southern soul, sassy blues, R&B, backwoods ramble and a hint of reggae. The result is a solo set that is for once, true to his talents!” AMPLIFIER MAGAZINE AUGUST 2005 “At 61. Kooper may have created his finest work yet - and it was worth the wait - even if child is now grandfather to the man...” HARP MAGAZINE SEPT/OCT 2005 "....The first thing you want to do after listening to this CD is listen to it again—which is about the strongest endorsement an album can get. Al Kooper’s voice has been sorely missed all these years...." VINTAGE GUITAR "... It's a special kind of set from a rock survivor you should pay some attention to, especially if you care about what rock in the contemporary era is all about. ." -MIDWEST RECORD RECAP “...If you love The Band, Boz Scaggs, or early Robert Palmer, this delightful album from the man who has already contributed so much to the rich tapestry of rock is for you....**** ”     THE INDEPENDENT (UK) “The musically well-traveled, and lately professorial, Kooper's debut for guitarist Steve Vai's Favored Nations label marks a welcome return to the studio for one of the prime movers of rock 'n' soul.... The Funky Faculty studio cuts showcase Kooper's still potent producing and arranging genius.... An appealing, aptly titled project that, hopefully, won't get lost in the shuffle.” *** RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE (UK) September 2005 “Black Coffee” is an expertly crafted work of pop that abounds with skillfully played blue-eyed soul, country blues, breezy jazz, gospel & rock.It’s also one of 2005’s top discs.” THE VIRGINIAN PILOT AUGUST 5, 2005 “Black Coffee,” his first solo effort since the mid-’70’s is a hot cup of classic R&B peppered with Al Green horn lines....” RELIX MAGAZINE AUGUST 2005 “...Kooper and The Funky Faculty, turn up the inspiration dial to 10 and cut loose with a batch of solidly written originals that accent the gritty, immediate and timeless heart of a popular music that hasn’t been so in decades....” ALL MUSIC GUIDE Black Coffee is a pretty cool diverse record - a testament to how a talented musician keeps his chops and his edge. Repeated listenings reward the ear with more and more detail....” DISCOVERIES MAGAZINE AUGUST 2005 “Al Kooper has done it all - from supplying that organ on Bob Dylans’ “Like A Rolling Stone” to discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd....he never could sing, though. Thirty years since his last solo outing, he still can’t.” Peter Kane Q MAGAZINE (UK) SEPTEMBER 2005