Phil Collins
Montreux Auditorium Stravinski, Switzerland
1st July, 2010

The Genesis drummer/ frontman was ahead of the Motown revival curve with his 1982 chart-topping version of The Supremes’ You Can’t Hurry Love. Collins previewed his album of soul covers as a curtain raiser to the Montreux Jazz Festival and showed that he’d dug deeper in the crates than most. Phil was backed by an impressive big band, including three surviving Funk Brothers – bassist Bob Babbitt, and guitarists Ray Monette and Eddie Willis – as well as Genesis’ Chester Thompson and Daryl Stuermer. While it was hard to muster enthusiasm for faithful renditions of overplayed oldies like Dancing In The Streets, Tears Of A Clown or My Girl, the more obscure material that Collins sang, the better. He excelled on The Temptations’ Girl and the beautiful Stevie Wonder ballads, Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer and Blame It On The Sun. Martha & The Vandellas’ In My Lonely Room proved even more affecting, along with Do I Love You?, Frank Wilson’s Northern soul classic.