Paul Carrack

One of pop music's ultimate journeymen, vocalist/keyboardist Paul Carrack's lengthy career found him in the service of bands ranging from Ace to Squeeze to Mike + the Mechanics. His finest work often came at the expense of his own identity as a performer: Of the many big hits on which he was prominently featured, only 1987's "Don't Shed a Tear" bore his own name. Despite this, Carrack steadily released solo albums showcasing his soulful vocal style and expert keyboard work, whether performing his own R&B-influenced pop material or rock and pop classics penned by others. 1987's One Good Reason set the template for much of his solo career, while 2003's It Ain't Over showed off his skills as a singer, composer, and instrumentalist. 2010's A Different Hat was an ambitious project with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and 2020's Another Side of Paul Carrack featured big-band interpretations of standards.