Swing Fever is a collaborative album by British singer Rod Stewart and English composer Jools Holland, released on 23 February 2024. It features Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, and contains covers of songs from the big band era.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described it as "a record steeped in jump blues, boogie woogie, and other manners of swinging R&B. In form, it's not far removed from Stewart's Great American Songbook albums, generally relying on songs written prior to the onset of rock & roll". Neil McCormick of The Telegraph found that "together Stewart and Holland tackle these classic tunes as if they are trying to set fire to the ballroom and burn the old folk's home to the ground" as "while there's nothing radical or new here, joy always sounds fresh, and Stewart sounds like he's having the time of his life".
Jackie Hayden of Hot Press stated that "Stewart's age-worn and smoky voice can still deliver, as these 13 covers of classic big band numbers prove", writing that Holland "is no slouch either" with his contributions to "Sentimental Journey", "Them There Eyes" and "Frankie and Johnny". Ed Power of i felt that "to take the attention away from Rod Stewart without once opening your mouth is quite an achievement. That's what Holland does throughout a vigorous yet subtly deficient collection."
Commercial performance On the UK Albums Chart dated 1 March 2024, the album debuted at number one, which made it Holland's first number-one album and Stewart's 11th.
Track listing
Personnel
Musicians
Rod Stewart – vocals Jools Holland – acoustic piano Christopher Holland – organ Mark Flanagan – guitar Gary Potter – guitar (3, 6, 12) Dave Swift – bass Gilson Lavis – drums Oli Savill – percussion (1, 2, 5, 7–9) Lya Reis Guerrero – percussion (3, 6, 12) Karl Vanden Bossche – percussion (4, 10, 11, 13) Matt O'Connor – congas (13), tambourine (13) Nick Lunt – baritone saxophone Michael Rose – saxophone Phil Veacock – saxophone Anna Brooks – saxophone (1, 3–7, 9–13) Derek Nash – saxophone (1, 3–5, 7–11, 13) Lisa Grahame – saxophone (2, 8) Pete Long – saxophone (3, 6, 12) Courtney Brown – trombone Roger Goslyn – trombone Winston Rollins – trombone Alistair White – trombone (1, 5, 7, 9) Fayyaz Virji – trombone (2–4, 6, 8, 10–13) Jason McDermid – trumpet Jonathan Scott – trumpet Chris Storr – trumpet (1–3, 5–9, 12) Enrico Tomasso – trumpet (1, 2, 4, 5, 7–11, 13) Danny Marsden – trumpet (3, 6, 12) Nathan Bray – trumpet (4, 10, 11, 13) Holly Brewer – backing vocals (1, 3–9, 11, 12) Gemma Mewse – backing vocals (1, 3–9, 11, 12) Amanda Miller – backing vocals (1, 4, 7, 11, 12) Ollie Furness – backing vocals (2) John H. Fitch Jr. – backing vocals (2) Richard Taylor – backing vocals (2) Joanne Harper – backing vocals (3, 5, 6, 8, 9)
Tap dancing on "Lullaby of Broadway" Genevieve Bennett Michael Burr Toria Ford Molly Goodman Courtney Jackson Lucy Mancinetti Amanda Miller Lucy Parsons Liam Tistell
Music arrangements Rod Stewart – BGV arrangements (1–9, 11, 12) Derek Nash – arrangements (1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 13) Fayyaz Virji – arrangements (3) Jonathan Scott – arrangements (5, 8) Jools Holland – arrangements (6, 9) Phil Veacock – arrangements (6, 9–11)
Production Phil Manzanera – producer (1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 12) Nitin Sawhney – producer (4, 10, 11, 13) Kevin Savigar – vocal production, mixing James Stewart – lead recording engineer Michael Boddy – mixing (1–10, 12, 13) Harry Timson – engineer (4, 10, 11, 13), orchestra mixing (11) George Latham – assistant engineer Patrick Logue – assistant engineer Alex Wharton – mastering at Abbey Road Studios (London, UK) Penny Lancaster – photography production and direction Jonas Mohr – photography Salvador Design – artwork Stephen Taylor – tour manager Elena Bello and Paul Losby for One Fifteen – management for Jools Holland Lotus Donovan – management for Rod Stewart
Charts + Chart performance for Swing Fever Chart (2024) Peakposition Croatian International Albums (HDU) 30 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan) 73
Certifications
References