Body and Soul

BODY AND SOUL expands on the cosmopolitan, Gershwinesque pop sound of its predecessor NIGHT AND DAY. The Latin element is removed in favor of a sound that's equal parts Brill Building and Tin Pan Alley, and the arrangements are more ambitious and orchestral. For the first time since JUMPIN' JIVE, Jackson works a horn section. The horns and Vinnie Zummo's jazzy guitar help take the sound to a new plateau.
For an album this far from rock & roll, BODY AND SOUL is the most unabashedly poppy effort of Jackson's career up to that point. With Ellen Foley chiming in on backing vocals, tunes like "Happy Ending" could have come from a contemporary Broadway musical. At the same time, the ambitious, almost-instrumental "Heart of Ice" is a sophisticated composition that merges jazz and artsong seamlessly. And as the touching "Be My Number Two" proves, Jackson still had a way with a simple melody and a heartfelt lyric.