CD Review
Fred Sanders
Long Time Comin'
(Mempho Records 685486 003 22)
by Gordon Baxter
Review date: March 2004
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Born and raised in Memphis, Fred Sanders has a long association with Beale
Street. "Long Time Comin'" aptly describes Fred's most recent album on
Mempho Records: originally released in 1999, it was almost thirty years
after his previous recording!
Things get underway with the shuffle, "I Got A Feeling," which gives the
listener some insights into Sanders' talents. Ably assisted by some nice
sympathetic Hammond B3, courtesy of Russell Wheeler, Sanders proves to be
an accomplished guitarist who can give the blues shouters a run for their
money when he puts his mind to it. Sanders basically sticks to a fairly
mainstream blues style throughout, using more subtle changes of pace and
power to provide the variation. Sometimes, these may even feature in the
same song, as on "Daddy Cain," which ends up in an uptempo rocking groove.
Subtlety is the order of the day, throughout, with Sanders (and the band)
never doing too much of anything for too long. Quite often there is a
lighter touch to the material, which works most effectively on songs like
"House Is Not A Home" with its soulful feel, which would sit comfortably in
the repertoire of the likes of Bobby Bland. References to Bland are also
triggered by the vocals on "Who Are You?"--one from the B.B. King
repertoire--one of two covers included here.
"Long Time Comin'" is a good album, which indicates that Sanders is worth
tracking down next time you are in Memphis. A good guitarist with a fine
voice, Sanders gets good sympathetic support throughout by, among others,
Mempho stalwart Brad Webb and Tony Adams, who double up on production
duties too. If you like your blues a bit more on the mellow side, "Long
Time Comin'" is definitely one to check out.
www.memphorecords.com
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