Howard Jones - Live At The O2

On March 24, 2024, forty years after he opened for OMD in Cardiff and Liverpool, Howard Jones played the O2 Arena in London as their special guest.  Live At The O2 documents his performance that night, with vocals that are as strong as ever and the band consisting of Nick Beggs (bass), Robin Boult (guitar), Dan Clarke (keyboards) and Robbie Bronnimann (keyboards and tech) sounding great (sadly, this would be the last performance featuring the 31-year-old Clarke, who passed away from cardiac arrest on July 28).  Jones has had numerous hits during his career (these include nine UK top 20 singles and five US top 20 singles), and they are well represented here.  Some, like “New Song” and “What Is Love”, stick pretty close to their original sound with the ever-present infectious bounce, as does “Pearl In Shell”, which is a little fuller and meatier here, and “Like To Get To Know You Well”, with its soulful groove and a great guitar solo.  Jones mentions bringing back the electronic element on “Hide & Seek” after playing it on piano for years, and to me it’s a highlight of the set.  It opens with a really nice piano intro and is a dark and haunting tune that’s a nice change of pace.  In addition to the hits, Jones also touches on his more recent albums with “The One To Love You”, from 2019’s Transform, which hearkens back to his earlier synth-based work, but with a modern-day edge, and "The Human Touch" from 2015's Engage that finds him embracing EDM.  The EDM vibe also carries over on one of his early hits, “You Know I Love You … Don’t You?”, giving the 1986 tune a completely new sound.  Also included is a solid cover of Kajagoogoo’s “Too Shy”, featuring some really great bass work from Beggs, who was an original member of that band.  The set closes with a strong version of “Things Can Only Get Better” and a high, energy raved up version of the song labeled Remix.  Live At The O2 shows without a doubt that Jones still has it.  

(Cherry Red Records)