For the sake of convenience, Harry calls the new one a funk album too, but there's a whole lot more going on in the fifteen tracks of Star Turtle than funk alone. Lush ballands, crashing Mardi Gras rhythms, and cut-throat rock 'n' roll clamor for dominance as Harry weaves a tender-hearted tale of a cosmic reptile seeking salvation. Landing in New Orleans, the Star Turtle is given a royal club-hopping tour by Harry himself, as they sample the musical diversity of the Crescent City (at each stop - a funk club, a jazz club, and a street parade - Harry plays every instrument and is the voice of every word heard on the four Star Turtle pieces). In between, Harry turns in a dozen of his finest songs, each entirely written by Harry himself.

Produced by Tracey Freeman, Star Turtle fuses the key influences that shaped the Connick sound. Working with the same band that toured with him in 1994-1995, Harry & Co. found themselves expatriates in the Big Apple. "Many of the musicians on the record are from New Orleans," he notes, "so it was a real New Orleans atmosphere in the studio. They're great guys, and I love them as friends as much as I do as musicians." The band includes Harry on vocals and keyboards, guitarist Jonathan DuBose, bassist Tony Hall, drummer Raymond Weber, and Lucien Barbarin on trombone. Harry supplemented the band with strings, as well as with an all-star horn section which he'll be taking out on the road with him this year.

With the dramatic appearance of the Star Turtle, Harry escorts his shell-backed friend to a swinging street parade for the first quartet of songs. "How Do Ya'll Know" is a comically caustic reflection on the rigors of fame. "I find the more successful I become, the more other people seem to know how I should live my life," says Harry. "Hear Me In The Harmony" is a loving tribute to Harry's former teacher, the late great New Orleans piano master James Booker. "He lived his life underappreciated," recalls Harry. "It's a tragic story, but the song has a feel-good sound." High-strutting horns accent "Reason To Believe," while plaintive strings underscore the yearning of the down-tempo ballad, "Just Like Me."

Next, Harry and the Turtle drop in on a jazz club, segueing to "Little Farley," the album's funkiest tune. "Nobody plays on the downbeat," notes Harry. "I'm not sure anyone can find 'one' on it." The next three songs amount to a Harry few people knew about until the She tour: the rock 'n' roll demon. "Eyes of the Seeker" presents the discarded visions of a back alley wino and a death row inmate, while "Nobody Like You To Me" is all B-3 Hammond and stinging Strat. "I've always loved good rock 'n' roll," says Harry, "and I don't want to go through life not doing the things I really want to do. Now I can add it to the repertoire." The rock section of the album ends with "Boozehound," a portrait of an alcoholic in full denial. "The song's in A minor," says Harry, "but I had Jonathan do his solo in B flat. It sounds weird at first, but I wanted to do something that touches on the torment."

The buoyant "Never Young" is followed by "Mind On The Matter," a frenzied triple-time drumfest, sung by bassist Tony Hall. "I told Tony he should sing it," notes Harry. "He said, 'Hey man, it's your record.' I said, 'You have a wonderful voice, and people should hear it.'" The final song on the album is "City Beneath The Sea," a heart-felt tribute to Harry's hometown. "New Orleans is like a saucer, some twenty feet below sea level," he says of the title's origins. "Even a little rain will put the city under water." The song depicts unique New Orleans street scenes, and features a brief but spectacular piano solo. "I usually hold back," he says. "I hate superfluous virtuosity, so I only throw in a little of the fast stuff." The album ends with the revitalized Turtle rocketing off to spread the funk on his home planet.

Harry's love affair with all matters musical goes back to his earliest days. Harry's parents, both lawyers, co-owned a record store and encouraged their son's musical interests. He first touched a keyboard at age three, and by age six he was good enough to play at his father's swearing-in ceremony as city D.A. Before he was ten, Harry made his recording debut with a local New Orleans jazz band. While working clubs in the French Quarter, Harry studied piano with Ellis Marsalis and James Booker. As a student at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, he won several piano competitions.

He moved to New York at age 18 to study at Hunter College and later at the Manhattan School of Music. Taking up a five-year-old offer from an acquaintance to look him up sometime, Harry called Dr. George Butler, V.P. of Jazz and Progressive A&R at Columbia. Butler signed Harry, who recorded his self-titled debut album in one direct-to-digital session, with veteran bassist accompanying on three instrumentals. Critics praised the 19-year old for his idiosyncratic style. As his fame began to spread among jazz circles, Harry became a top draw at New York clubs, like the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel. Harry's extended stint there proved to be the hottest ticket in town. His second album, 20, performed with jazz trio, introduced audiences to his magnificent voice.

Director Rob Reiner asked Harry to contribute the score to his 1989 film, When Harry Met Sally, in which Harry sang several American classics. The success of the film led to Connick's first multi-platinum album. In addition to using solo piano and trio as with his first two albums, When Harry Met Sally marked the first time he recorded with a big band. A lengthy tour ensued, taking Harry across the USA and Europe. His next two albums, Lofty's Roach Souffle and the multi-platinum We Are In Love, released simultaneously in July 1990, topped the Jazz charts and scored high on the pop charts as well. Both featured Harry's own songs, revealing his dramatic evolution as a songwriter.

His gold-certified home video, Singin' & Swingin' was released in 1990, the year he made his acting debut in Memphis Belle. In November 1990, Harry made his Broadway debut with a three-week engagement at the Lunt-Fontaine Theater. He sang "Promise Me You'll Remember," the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated song from The Godfather Part III on the 1991 Oscar telecast. A PBS special, taped live for the "Great Performances" series, resulted in a 1991 Emmy nomination for Best Performance in a Variety Special. The concert is available on home video as Swingin' Out Live, now certified platinum. A 1991 home video, The New York Big Band Concert, was filmed during his record-breaking 15-night engagement at the Paramount Theater.

In February 1991, Harry earned a Best Jazz Vocal Performance Grammy for "We Are In Love," which he performed live on the Grammy telecast. In July of 1991, Harry gave a command performance at Windsor Castle for Prince Phillip's 70th birthday, and later that year returned to the big screen with a role in Jodie Foster's Little Man Tate. He also made a memorable appearance on the small screen with a guest starring role in "Cheers."

Simply Mad About The Mouse, the Buena Vista Home Video and Columbia Records collection of classic Disney songs performed by contemporary stars, featured Harry singing "Bare Necessities" from The Jungle Book. Later in 1991, Harry released Blue Light, Red Light, a big band album written and orchestrated by Connick. It too turned into a jazz and pop smash, selling two million-plus copies, and proving beyond a doubt that Harry Connick, Jr., was one of the most versatile and talented figures in contemporary music.

1991's 25 was a moving collection of jazz and pop standards performed on solo piano, while 11, released at the same time, was a rare set of traditional classics originally recorded with ensemble of New Orleans jazz masters, including Connick at the tender age of eleven. All told, Harry has racked up one gold, four platinum, and three multi-platinum albums, two Grammies, scores of sold-out concerts, and millions of enraptured fans worldwide.

In late 1993, at age 26, Harry released the platinum-certified When My Heart Finds Christmas, to which he contributed four original holiday songs, as well as orchestral and choir arrangements. The album proved to be the best-selling holiday album of the season. His CBS-TV Christmas special, featuring Carol Burnett and Aaron Neville, also emerged a ratings winner.

With the release of She in 1994, Harry completed a U.S. concert tour, including a college tour before new fans. Last year, he co-starred with Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver in Copycat, portraying a maniacal serial killer, and earning some of the best reviews of his acting career. The New York Timescalled him "scarily effective," while the Dallas Morning News said Harry was "convincingly tummy-turning." And the Miami Herald raved, "Connick is effectively creepy (and virtually unrecognizable) as the personable sicko." This summer, he co-stars in the highly anticipated Independence Day, in which he plays a crack fighter pilot helping to save the Earth from murderous space aliens (no, they're not turtles). He is also set to co-star with Alicia Silverstone, Benicio del Toro, and Christopher Walken in Excess Baggage, in which he portrays a crooked car salesman.

These days, lullabies echo through the Connick home. Harry and Jill welcomed daughter Georgia Tatom to the world on April 17. Though he certainly can't be blamed for being absorbed in the wonders of first-time fatherhood, Harry is still very excited about the new album. "On every record, I work hard to do the best I can," says the singer. "This record is absolutely the very best I can do at this time in my life." A close encounter with Star Turtle easily confirms that Harry knows what he's talking about.