Open – JULIE DRISCOLL & THE BRIAN AUGER TRINITY****

In & Out/Isola Natale/Black Cat/Lament For Miss Baker/Goodbye Jungle Telegraph/Tramp/Why(Am I Treated So Bad)/A Kind Of Love In/Break It Up/Season Of The Witch

Julie 'Jools' Driscoll would become the face of 1968 in the British media. Her collaboration with the jazz-rock Brian Auger Trinity yielded a top 5 UK hit single with the dynamic cover of Bob Dylan's This Wheels On Fire. The album Open was their only other major commercial success. (UK:12)

"This is a must for anyone wanting to revisit or discover mid to late 60s jazz-rock-soul fusions, its simply a great album by great musicians."

"This is in fact two one-sided albums put together. One side with Jools singing, and the other with Brian Auger and the group playing mainly instrumentals. A largely forgotten classic from a very interesting era. Best tracks are Why and Season Of The Witch on the Jools side."

"Open is the first full album by the Brian Auger combo with Jools, but not all tracks include her vocals. The first five tracks are mostly instrumentals with some great brass backing to the usual trio. All pretty good except Black Cat where the male vocals are not brilliant. Then Jools comes in from track six onwards and that makes the album for me. Some very soulful vocals and a great range of voice."

"Julie's soaring voice reigns supreme along the contagious Hammond B3 textures crafted by the artistry of Brian Auger. The band is up to par."

"When Brian Auger, one of the visionary pioneers of UK jazz rock, was drawn to the wailing mod madonna Julie ‘Jools’ Driscoll the results were explosive. From soulful, swinging jazz-drenched grooves, to burning organ-driven rockers and smoky lilting ballads, this captures the sounds of swinging London at its finest during the heady days of the late 1960s. Their exhilarating blend of funkiness, mixed with swirling psychedelic rock and jazz, sounds as fresh and exciting today as when recorded."

"Jools has a distinctive voice which on the ballad type songs sounds a bit like Dusty Springfield although becomes a bit rawer on later tracks. With Brian Auger's superb organ playing the album has a jazzy, soulful feel."