For most intents and purposes,
No Ordinary World is an ordinary latter-day
Joe Cocker album, filled with slick but impassioned ballads, moderately paced rockers, and smooth adult contemporary pop songs. The thing is, this is just a cut above average, thanks to uniformly fine performances from
Cocker and a strong set of songs. Yes, at 14 songs, there are inevitably a couple of slow patches, but there are not only good covers here ("First We Take Manhattan," "While You See a Chance") but some good professionally crafted tunes like "Different Roads," the title track, and the
Michael McDonald/
Tony Joe White composition, "Where Would I Be Now."
No Ordinary World may not erase memories of the fiery early
Cocker albums, nor is it quite as memorable as the best of his latter-day work, but for longtime fans, it's a nice, satisfying listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine