We love it, we play it a lot - a quality recording.
author: Hittin' The Note Magazine
We've been playing the hell out of it around here - it's a good record, man. It really has a nice genuine feel to it that evokes a real down home Johnny Jenkins vibe ... it comes across with a variety of styles ... the instrumentals have a nice swing to them. I like the arangements on this one a lot. Handle With Care feels more like a player's record ... a really good job at creating a warm and raw feel ... there is a certain groove to it you might say ... the whole thing, the sound , the playing, the quality of the recording - it all fits. It's not too slick - it's got an earthy feel to it.
Read more...
It is to me the definitive Johnny Jenkins album, authentic R&B, heavy on the B.
author: Jeff Bridges
This cd has a comfortable groove about it. Johnny is surrounded by a group of southern musicians with R&B roots who sound genuinely excited to be playing with the veteran musician. The remakes of Johnny's early sixties hits, "Bashful Guitar" and "Spunky", come across fresh and with a new energy. The instrumentals, "Swift Creek" "Take That" and "Sincerely", showcase his beautifully understated guitar work and sense of musical timing. "A Woman's Love" and "Reach Out And Touch" are powerful songs brimming with raw emotion. If you like real R&B with a heavy dose of guitar you will enjoy "Handle With Care".
Read more...
Masterful blend of soul and blues ... impressive outing!
author: Jeff Harris, Witr Radio - Rochester, New York
... showcasing Jenkins' still impressive guitar chops and heartfelt vocals ... an emotional record with Jenkins pouring his soul out about his trials and tribulations. Nowhere is this more apparent than on the autobiographical REACH OUT AND TOUCH (SOMEBODY'S HAND), a moving spoken word number ... In a similar vein are wonderful ballads like COME IN OUT OF THE RAIN and A WOMAN'S LOVE IN VAIN ... other highlights include the horn propelled soul gem CRY LIKE A MAN and the straight blues of JOHNNY'S BLUES ... first rate band featuring some knockout horns and some excellent production work that complements Jenkins' style perfectly. Handle With Care is an impressive outing and will hopefully propel Jenkins to the kind of stardom that he once was so close to attaining.
Read more...
A mixture of soul and blues, this CD is hard to find, but worth the search.
author: Graham Clarke, Blues Bytes Surprise - Dec / 00
Jenkins would be the first to tell you that he's no great shakes in the vocal department, but he acquits himself pretty well on the five songs on which he sings on this CD. He's a little tentative on the first two tracks, but by the time he gets to JOHNNY'S BLUES and COME IN OUT OF THE RAIN, he's in the groove to stay. Also, his guitar work is featured more than on his previous releases, so you can see what all the fuss was about thirty years ago. While Jenkins did pen most of the songs here, the most heartfelt would have to be his reconstruction of Ashford & Simpson's REACH OUT AND TOUCH (SOMEBODY'S HAND)...The lyrics are autobiographical, as Jenkins recalls, sometimes overtaken by emotion, the people in his life who were to take his hand and help him through the many tough times he has encountered and how he hopes to return the favor some day. Listening to this highly personal track, it's hard not to get the feeling that Johnny Jenkins knows how far back he's come from the depths and that, hopefully, he's not going away again anytime soon.
Read more...