Herbie Hancock
Possibilities

That a jazz icon like Herbie Hancock has produced a gorgeously pop album is not, in itself, surprising. Indeed, he has pursued an artistic path that has often led him to brush against other musical genres from funky to disco music, just think of the quirky "Perfect Machine". But that someone like Herbie Hancock, with his history, experiences, and famous collaborations, Miles Davis above all, could lend his name to a glossy and ingratiating project like "Possibilities" was something I never expected. It's true that surprises never end.

"Possibilities" is nothing more than a collection of polished duets with some of the recent and past pop-rock stars, from Cristina Aguilera to Paul Simon, Sting, Annie Lennox, and so on. It is one of those operations strictly within the logic that views music as a mere product to be placed on the market, studying its trends and orientations. It is an album, therefore, that rhymes with words such as target, trend, marketing-oriented, and whatever else. Nothing scandalous, and still, this is no reason enough to exclude the possibility that a product built this way could possess qualitative characteristics making it appreciable, but for me, this isn't the case. Certainly, it can be pleasantly listened to, perhaps as background during a chic poolside party, amiably chatting with guests and sipping a vodka martini, strictly shaken not stirred. However, it’s not the case to attribute it with other qualities beyond being a Piano Bar album, high class to be sure, but still Piano Bar.

I usually don't like to dwell on describing an album song by song, but paradoxically this time it's really worth it. It starts with "Stitched Up" with John Mayer, a perfect intro to capture the listener: a catchy, cheerful tune where Hancock plays his part as a saloon musician with piano touches so trivial he could play them with his eyes closed and hands tied. Then comes "Safiatou" with Carlos Santana and Angélique Kidjo. Perfectly played by our supporting musicians, it has the undeniable flaw of inevitably bringing back to mind the earworm "Corazòn Espinado" which, willing or not, we all had to endure in a loop in every form for a long time everywhere: radio, venues, ex-friends’ homes. And thank goodness the album was released in September, otherwise, we would have been bombarded with this song all summer long.
Of course, the so-called "tear-jerker" songs are not missing, in this case embodied first by Cristina Aguilera ("A Song For You"), then by the resurrected Paul Simon ("I Do It For Your Love"). Open scene yawns. The even more revived Annie Lennox closes the sappy triptych with "Hush Hush Hush", nothing transcendental, but I must admit Annie Lennox's voice is a pleasant listen. The most elaborate track, if you can call it that, is "Sister Moon" naturally entrusted to Sting, always part of duets, trios, and various gatherings, in this occasion standing out for the uselessness and flatness of the performance.
A hair more interesting, as it's a bit rougher compared to the context, is "When Love Comes To Town" with Jonny Lang and the emerging Joss Stone, but don’t expect much, remember it’s still a Piano Bar. The presence of emerging musicians is reinforced with "Don’t Explain" sung by Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, indeed a beautiful and romantic ballad for soft lights. To highlight the absolute uselessness of "I Just Called To Say I Love You". Dressed in flowing keyboards, Raul Midón's performance is sincerely pathetic, and Hancock’s presence just an extravagant garnish. The album is finally closed by the duet with Trey Anastasio "Gelo Na Montanha", in perfect coherence with the whole described context.

In short, I found the album sugary, superfluous, ingratiating, annoying, banal, essentially ugly. Nevertheless, it's clear that the catchiness of the themes, the easy listening, can be perceived by others as a quality and lead them to consequently consider my view excessively harsh. But know that this is not what I negatively assess. It is right that spaces also exist for light, easy music, but I believe that they can be used in a more elegant and sincere way, adjectives not applicable in this case.