Customer Reviews

Texas Cannonball

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was introduced to Freddie King's music going on forty years ago and was fortunate to have actually seen him in concert several times when he visited San Antonio. This is by far my favorite work from Freddie. I'm not a great admirer of Leon Russell, but he does provide Freddie with some exceptional material that has had staying power with me for decades. I still own this on vinyl, a most cherished possession. Every cut is great. Having said that, an alternative would be to buy "The Best of the Shelter Years" because you get most of the cuts on Cannonball and other greats like "Woman Across the River". A real classic and one that the Allman Bros. have recently covered.

There is also a 2002 DVD covering this 1972 album.

These versions of many blues and soul standards are all fine, there are a couple of Freddie penned trax as well. I've read the quibbles in the All Music Guide and thru out the Freddie King reviwes listed below, but I still really like this music. Yes Leon's destinctive piano often sits on top of the mix, and the strings and backing female voices occationaly over power King's playing and mar and date the arrangements, but it's soooo good, even if it is at the end of the road for Freddie.
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I'd suggest picking up the 2-disc "KING OF THE BLUES".
That CD contains all of these cuts and then some; about 60 in all, in a generous package. There are only a handful of songs that are not up to par and some that are so good you will wonder why you did not already have King in your blues collection. For those looking for a blues CD beyond Freddie's vintage 1950's classics, see "KING OF THE BLUES".

An uneven effort to be sure, but who can match Freddie when he's on? Not many. "Reconsider Baby," "Big Leg Women," and "You Can't Trust Your Neighbor" kick butt. Sizzling guitar and magnificent vocals which cut straight to the gut. A definite buy. Three or four butt-kicking cuts by Freddie more than match the career output of many. Essential material.

This is a fantastic album by Freddie King. Recorded in 1972 on Leon Russell's Shelter label, the album features Freddie on guitar, Leon on piano, and Donald Duck Dunn on bass. Great renditions of Lowell Fulsom's Reconsider Baby, Howlin Wolf's How Many More Years, and Bill Wither's Aint No Sunshine. Plus a coupl eof track written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. In the thirty plus years I have been listening to this, I have worn out at least four copies. Freddie really knows how to make that guitar sing. I saw Freddie perform with Eric Clapton at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City shortly before he died, it was a once in a lifetime musical experience for me. Another time, I walked into a blues bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans many years ago and there was this old, old man playing "Big Legged Woman" on the slide guitar and it was amazing! The Texas Cannonball lives!

I picked up a used copy yesterday for $5 and was pretty impressed. Before this I had only heard hideaway. The weird thing is if someone gave me this album on a blank disk and had written Albert King on it, I would have believed them. This sounds a lot like Albert King, or course my only exposure to albert king is the excellent compliation album titled Blues Power. Anyway, this CD is worth buying at the right price (I will only pay top dollar for Johnny Winter CDs of course).

Freddies steel finger 'n' thumbpicks make the notes ring out throughout this classic album. The notes swoop and bend. The version of "Reconsider Baby" (originally done by Lowell Fulson but also covered by Elvis Presley) seems like it was almost MADE for Freddie. His voice is racked with pain and anguish as he slows the song down to a funky grind and adds shimmering finger vibrato to notes that seem to fall from the sky. He was definitely the finest vocalist amongst the famous "3 Kings" and his guitar playing has influenced everyone notable, from Clapton to Johnny Winter to Paul Kossoff,etc..
A few people have tried to cover songs featured here. Tab Benoit has adequately attempted "Me & My Guitar" back in 1998, but the growling vocals of Freddie can't be equalled. Every track featured on this CD is superb and the cover art was striking when this album first was issued on vinyl back in 1971.
This CD version comes with several *bonus tracks which adds incentive to purchase it. If you think the Texas Shuffle started with The Vaughan Brothers THINK AGAIN because this was from where it originated.
I was so fortunate to see Freddie King live on stage with Eric Clapton back in summer 1976. He was a giant , both musically and physically!

A good album. I borrowed it from a friend along with 5 or 6 other CDs (Johnny Winter, etc.) -- and I played this CD much more than the others. I am a big fan of Freddies guitar playing -- but it is the vocals that really captivated me with this album. He does this thing with his voice, it is hard to describe but he seems to hold a note and then increase its volume (any vocalists out there?) -- I had never heard this before and was fascinated by it. I found myself singing along trying to imitate it! Anyway I had an awesome blues-jam guitar lesson immediately after that -- my guitar teacher was blown away. Can't be bad.

My favorite blues album. Contains moving vocals, choice guitar licks, and excellent piano by the legendary Leon Russell.

After listening to blues for many, many years, and playing a bit myself, IMO, "Me and My Guitar" is the second greatest blues song ever recorded by anybody, anywhere (the greatest being "Crossroads" by Cream). That's my 2 cents' worth.

The actual core Album tracks are great Freddie King. The voice and guitar playing are tremendous. The Bonus tracks on this are variable but the acoustic playing on "That's all right" made my day. Buy this if you could only buy one Freddie King album. IMHO