Rod Stewart and Jools Holland – ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ Review

Hootenanny Man Jools Holland and the ever-threatening retirement of Rod Stewart is quite the pairing. Their swing-time showcase on upcoming record Swing Fever is a delight for those with a hankering to hear legends of music tackle songs which inspired them. It is done time and time again, the difference here being the cultural impact Holland still has on the UK, and the seemingly endless farewell Stewart embarks on. Whatever the case, their cover of Ain’t Misbehavin’, a legendary Fats Weller song, gives some indication of how the pair hope to pay tribute to the music which made them. Their short and sweet slice of fun is just that – a fun riff on a classic of a genre both men were inspired by. 

Holland and Stewart turn out to be quite the pairing. Ain’t Misbehavin’ provides both with some exceptional material to turn their hand to. Brass and gutsy work from Holland and his band is a response rather than a backdrop, and partway through this reimagining comes the classic and fundamental swinging style. Swing along with it and try and tuck away these thoughts of it being a piano ballad Holland would use in one of his shows. Ain’t Misbehavin’ has some fundamental differences from the Weller original – and rightly so. It feels more frenetic, wilder and explores a larger, sizeable collection of all the references and influences these two men benefit from. Their sense of place and the typical cultural pointers can be found within, neat and resting on the jazz-like constructs of these swinging numbers. 

There is still an energy to Ain’t Misbehavin’ which may filter through as a shock to listeners. Consider the last few decades of Stewart’s work and it becomes clear that, like Cliff Richard, he lives on past glories. But paired with the frequency of which Holland works there is a chance for a proper bow-out from Stewart. He is not a man who strikes as rattling out pieces of music for the sake of ending his career as Leonard Cohen or John Cale did but there is certainly a sense of this grand finale on Swing Fever. Whether it is or not will reveal itself soon enough, though the vocal range from Stewart and his clear love for the genre is as infectious as the tightly wound band playing on behind him. 

These are the throes of a career coming to an end – not out of choice but out of inevitability. What a time to turn back and look on the influences of the world around them. How much has changed since their first flickers of inspiration took hold, and where does it end? Ain’t Misbehavin’ sounds as though the duo has a new lease on life after decades of plugging away with their dependable and often enjoyable tones. Sometimes a legend of the scene needs a new challenge to plug away at. While it may not be new to Holland and Stewart, their love for the genre is grand and brings out the best in their cover efforts here – marking Ain’t Misbehavin’ as a swinging bit of brief work which does no harm or foul to a genre the pair are both still moved by.