Haskell is better late than never

Gordon Haskell was discovered by BBC Radio 2

By BBC News Online's Ian Youngs

Gordon Haskell, the 55-year-old crooner who has just scored a UK number two single, has taken the music world by surprise with his rapid rise to fame.

The media usually focuses on hot young bands, but this time they have taken notice after the silent majority - Radio 2 listeners - mobilised to get behind the self-effacing Haskell.

His single How Wonderful You Are gave Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman a close run for their money in the Christmas chart - not bad for a musician whose previous claim to fame was being a member of King Crimson for a year in the 1960s.

A late-night atmosphere runs through the album

And if the same army of fans embraces his latest solo album, Harry's Bar, he will become a bona fide star rather than just a one-hit wonder.

They are the same fans who made Eva Cassidy a posthumous star - and one of the biggest-selling artists of the last couple of years.

Harry's Bar is a collection of laid-back jazz ballads that will appeal to the huge number of people who love the sound of classic singer-songwriters.

And there are not many new additions to feed the classic crooning market these days.

Soft jazz

It is music for everyone who thinks UK garage is something a Brit parks his car in and nu-metal is a new brand of DIY material.

The sounds are those of soft jazz and blues - and are far too languid to be described as rock.

A lightly-chilled, late-night atmosphere runs through the album, which ranges from slow, smooth love songs like How Wonderful You Are to more funky, brassy jazz numbers.

Perfect voice

Often, the songs just include Haskell's vocals joined by a piano or a saxophone, with a few harmonies or light strings in the background.

He has got the perfect voice for this hue of blues - one part gravel to two parts honey, like a tired Joe Cocker or Eric Clapton after a few cocktails and cigarettes.

A few songs miss the target - in parts the album becomes too saccharine or too stylised - and it is those that betray the likelihood that Haskell is not going to become an instant legend.

But just how well he will do is anyone's guess - there is a lot of quality on this CD but he is still an unknown quantity.

Harry's Bar is released by Warner Brothers on 7 January.