I am floored.  This album is fantastic.  His voice is gorgeous & sensitive. His taste is impeccable in the arrangements.  He is loyal to the songs.  What more can you ask for?
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For those of us who love the music of Jimmy Webb, a new album containing a cover version of a song by him is always welcome.  Here, however, we have not one but eleven of his songs, and they are all sung and performed beautifully.  Doug Howell has a very pleasant voice which enables him to convey the songs perfectly, and with his musical arrangements he has wisely stayed close (in the main) to what you would expect from Jimmy himself.  Nevertheless, Doug has contributed many of his own ideas, and the album whole album is a delight.

Doug also includes the song 'Love Hurts', which isn't written by Mr. Webb, but is relevant here as Jimmy included the song in his own album 'Letters'.
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Jimmy Webb's own "Just Across the River" has been among my Top 5 Albums of 2010 since its release this summer, and now Doug Howell's masterful "Jimmy and Me" joins it on that list. Howell's melodic voice and fine piano stylings are a perfect complement to Jimmy Webb classics like "All I Know," "Wooden Planes" and "Shine It On Me." But the track "If Ships Were Made to Sail," which I'd not previously encountered, may well be the standout cut. I highly recommend this recording to all who know Jimmy Webb's music, and to those who have previously heard Howell's recordings such as "Bluer Than It's Ever Been" and "I've Been Freed" (among others).  And if you fit neither of those categories but simply enjoy memorable, reflective  lyrical phrasings set to contemplative, melodic music...this recording is for you.
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