Joe Jackson: Live in Tokyo (2001)

Overview

After charging through "One More Time," "Wild West," and "You Can't Get What You Want (Until You Know What You Want)" at a punishing clip, one might expect the soft-spoken Joe Jackson to shift to a lower gear. Instead, the one-time musical prodigy, pub band pioneer, and now eclectic composer revisits one of his even faster, earlier hits, "On Your Radio." If most performers risk monotony with such a move, Jackson's quiet charisma in this 1986 performance encourages pleasurable surrender and, in his more mature material, careful attention to his uniquely marbled tones, rhythms, and colors. Steeped in the influences of swing, Latin music, classical composition, and melodic balladry, Jackson is full of mix-and-match surprises, such as a delicate re-imagining of "Steppin' Out" and a growling, funky "Soul Kiss." This is a pure delight, from start to finish. Special features could be more special, however: a Jackson discography would have made sense with such a far-reaching playlist