It's about 30 years since Cocker delivered that blistering cover of Lennon and McCartney's With A Little Help From My Friends. Since then his distinctive gravel voice, one of the most powerful in the pop business, has proved a winning package.

But it ain't what it used to be. Yes, he lets rip in this new disc, but there is a definite lack of depth. Granted, he has been belting out songs about love, loss and life for a long time, so maybe he deserves to ease back on the throttle. It has been a long and illustrious career played out to a world-wide fan club, and it was great to see him at the Buck House Jubilee party with others of the pop hierarchy but, hard luck, Joe, your 20th disc is just a dub short of a knighthood

Updated: 11:40 Thursday, June 20, 2002