| Afterglow | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Dr. John |
| Cover: | Afterglow (Dr. John album).jpg |
| Released: | 1995 |
| Studio: | Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California; Bill Schnee Studios, North Hollywood, California |
| Label: | Blue Thumb[1] |
| Producer: | Tommy LiPuma |
| Prev Title: | Television |
| Prev Year: | 1994 |
| Next Title: | The Very Best of Dr. John |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
Afterglow is an album by the American musician Dr. John, released in 1995.[2] [3] The majority of the tracks are covers of jazz and blues songs from the 1940s and 1950s; many of the songs were introduced to Dr. John by his parents.[4] [5]
The album peaked at No. 7 on Billboards Traditional Jazz Albums chart.[6] Dr. John supported the album by playing shows with the Afterglow Big Band.[7]
The album was produced by Tommy LiPuma, with arrangements by John Clayton and Alan Broadbent.[8] [9] It was engineered by Al Schmitt, who was nominated for a Grammy Award.[10] Dr. John used a 20-piece string section to back his 19-member band; Ray Brown led the rhythm section.[11]
"New York City Blues" and "There Must Be a Better World Somewhere" were cowritten by Dr. John and Doc Pomus.[8] "I Know What I've Got" is a cover of the Louis Jordan song; "Blue Skies" was written by Irving Berlin.[12] [13]
The Guardian called the album an "elegant homage to the torch songs of yesteryear."[14] The Windsor Star deemed it "too polite to count as a Dr. John album, and too New Orleans-bluesy to be a legitimate big-band album." The Globe and Mail considered it "a sweet exercise in pop nostalgia."[15]
The Orlando Sentinel noted that the album "harks back to the lush, big-band sound that served the singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist so well on 1989's In a Sentimental Mood." The New York Times stated that Dr. John "rambles nostalgically down pop-blues trails originally blazed by Ray Charles... The singing is sultry and swinging."[16] The Independent opined that the album is "spoilt by a showbiz orchestra that varnishes over his shaggy greatness."[17]
AllMusic praised Dr. John's "gravel-and-honey voice." (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide dismissed the album as "empty pop."