After releasing the much-delayed The Apprentice, Martyn was once again on a roll, and, while not quite as strong as The Apprentice, Cooltide was a solid outing. His jazziest release yet, it's marred slightly by a gravelly hoarseness in his voice, which makes him sound like he's just recovered from laryngitis. "Jack the Lad" was the single released, and, along with "Annie Says" and the aching "Call Me," they show him entering the 1990s in fine form. The title song had a long gestation, originally recorded for 1979's Grace and Danger under the title "Running up the Harbour." While a bit long, it's a great hypnotic, groove-oriented track that's smooth and cool, with Martyn venturing a little further afield than he had in quite a while.



Track List:

01. Hole in the Rain [4:41]
02. Annie Says [5:01]
03. Jack the Lad [6:42]
04. Number Nine [3:44]
05. The Cure [4:14]
06. Same Difference [4:24]
07. Father Time [5:36]
08. Call Me [5:39]
09. Cooltide [12:29]
10. Jack the Lad (Remix) onus track [4:19]
11. Jack Sez onus track [3:47]
12. Jack the Lad (live 1991) onus track [5:33]
13. Hole in the Rain (live 1991) onus track [5:24]

Personnel:
John Martyn - vocals, guitars
Spencer Cozens - keyboards, bass synth
Foster Patterson - keyboards
Andy Sheppard - soprano saxophone
Alan Thomson - bass (6, 8)
Dave Ball - bass (4)
Arran Ahmun - drums (4)
John Henderson - drums
Miles Bould - percussion
Joe Locke - vibes
Jessica King - backing vocals (6)

Live Recordings, November 1991:
John Martyn - guitar, vocals
Alan Thomson - bass guitar
Spencer Cozens - keyboards
Gerry Conway - drums and percussion
Dave Lewis - saxophone