In August 2023, a new release related to Jerry Reed occurred. The link is not as direct as I–a self-certified Super-Fan–would have liked. It’s not a remastered anthology re-release of Reed’s total RCA output, with all his outtakes and unreleased tracks included – that’s just a dream of mine!
In fact, though, it’s almost as pleasing and I really am sorry I have only just discovered it. Such projects as this are very satisfying.
It is in fact a recent single, a cover of Reed’s hit East Bound and Down. And what makes this so satisfying and keeps me from rolling my eyes is this: it’s by an artist who co-existed in the same era as Mr Reed began to find commercial success: Herb Alpert.
Herb Alpert is a brilliant trumpeter and the bandleader of the group The Tijuana Brass during the 1960s. In August 2023, Alpert released his newest album, entitled Wish Upon a Star.
The track listing is as follows:
1. East Bound and Down
2. Angel Eyes
3. We’ve Only Just Began
4. On the Street Where You Live
5. Father and Son
6. Marie’s the Name (Of His Latest Flame)
7. Sacudelo (Shake It)
8. Sensibility
9. Poinciana
10. Waltz for Stan
11. Slow Down
12. It’s All in the Game
13. And I Love Her
14. When You Wish Upon a Star
Honestly, even to this rather Reed-obsessed reviewer, this album sounds incredibly inviting with tracks from so many different eras and areas of my life. I may well do a full-on review soon, when I get the chance to listen through its entirety.
However for the time being, I would like to say bravo Mr Alpert! And thank you for covering such a brilliant artist who today is largely forgotten or dismissed as “that goofy guy in Burt Reynolds movies”. And even on the track listing alone, I would recommend this newest offering from Mr Alpert, this latest Jerry-Reed-related release which I somehow missed!
