Album Review: Hugh Laurie - Didn't It Rain

When flicking through rows and rows of CDs (whether it be on the review shelves of Drum Media HQ or your local independent record store) Hugh Laurie is not a name a good many people would expect to stumble across. This reviewer certainly didn't know that the beloved actor best known for his role in Stuart Little (right?) had produced an album. As it turns out, Didn't It Rain is his second album.

Where the first album had a stronger influence from blues music, this one branches out a little more and adopts a more New Orleans-inspired sound. Clarinets, a big band horn section and a general air of trad provide an upbeat and enjoyable backdrop for Hugh's performance. As an album recorded and produced by an actor, this album excels. Often actors-come-musicians crash and burn in this territory, and there are a wealth of albums out there that are just not worth the time, but the beloved second half of Fry and Laurie is not one of those horror stories. This album has lovely renditions of St. Louis Blues, Kiss Of Fire, The Weed Smoker's Dream and of course Didn't It Rain. It is just further proof of the man's talent and class.

Featuring the likes of Taj Mahal and the eloquent and lovely Gaby Moreno, Laurie is certainly not lacking in talented friends. Maybe his acclaim in cinema and television puts him in a position where he can ask such people to play for him, but his playing certainly holds its own against theirs, too – he is quite the keys player. To top it all off, he has a phenomenal band behind him. Looking forward to the next album.