Aaron Neville - The Grand Tour (1993)

Although Steve Lindsey tries a little too hard to make The Grand Tour appeal to everyone, Aaron Neville manages to make the album another solid addition to his latter-day catalog. Lindsey keeps the sound of the album strictly in the mainstream, piling on layers of keyboards, vocalists, and drum machines which neuter any rootsy elements in the music. This is particularly unfortunate, since the selection of songs is interesting, ranging from George Jones and Chuck Berry to Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Nevertheless, Neville rises to the material, not the production, giving the music an emotional core. Not every teaming works, but enough songs hit the target to make The Grand Tour worthwhile for dedicated fans.