Songs of romantic longing are Tim Hockenberry’s stock and trade. His inter-pretations of modern song- writers like Tom Waits (“Heart of Saturday Night”), Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim (“Somewhere”) and Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer (“Moon River”) speak to unfulfilled love. In Tim’s words, “a love just out of reach but not enough to make you let go. The whole idea of seeing the world as a result of pursuing a love that will never be. How beautiful and sad is that?”

And beautiful it is. The arrangement of Paul McCartney’s “Yesterday” is a revelation, with longtime bandmate Gawain Matthew’s masterful mandolin and electric guitar work weaving in and out of Hockenberry’s world weary yet optimistic vocal. James Taylor’s sweet folk “Fire and Rain” is given a rougher edge with three-time Grammy Award winner Tom Scott’s sax and Hockenberry’s yearning growl, evolving into something more suited to a Ray Charles, Leon Russell or Dr. John, right in Hockenberry and the band’s wheelhouse.

Many of the selections included on this CD are choice concert material Hockenberry, Matthews and bassist Terry Miller have been honing for a while at local Bay Area venues (“What a Wonderful World,” Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Tiny Dancer” and the Billy Preston hit “Will It Go Round in Circles”). Here they are presented delicately with fine studio mixing and producing by Miller and Matthews. Happily, John Lennon’s “Imagine” is preserved forever in all its magnificence. Listen carefully to Terry Miller’s exquisite bass lines throughout.

Hockenberry smartly chooses songs that fit his emotional disposition. You can’t really go wrong choosing great compositions by the likes of John, Waits, McCartney and James Taylor. Always keeping the finest musical company to merge with his unique vocals, this collection, aptly entitled The List, is enjoyable to the ears, reflective for the mind and stirring for the heart.

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
March 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org