A Fool to Care is the eighteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Boz Scaggs. It was released in the US on March 31, 2015, and in the UK on March 30, 2015, on 429 Records. The album was the second in a three-album series celebrating American roots music (Memphis being released in 2013 and Out of the Blues in 2018). The front cover was by Danny Clinch who photographed Scaggs in Conzelman Road, Sausalito, California.[3]

A Fool to Care
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 31, 2015
Recorded2015
StudioBlackbird Studio, Nashville, Tennessee; The Barn, Napa Valley
GenreBlues, rock, rhythm and blues
Label429 Records
ProducerSteve Jordan
Boz Scaggs chronology
Memphis
(2013)
A Fool to Care
(2015)
Out of the Blues
(2018)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Critical reception

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Rolling Stone writes, "These 12 songs map out a concise history of American soul, with a heavy dose of New Orleans strut... Backed throughout by a stellar group of studio aces — guitarist Ray Parker Jr., bassist Willie Weeks and drummer Steve Jordan, who also produced the album — Scaggs’ well-worn, textured voice deftly navigates this range of styles."[2]

Blues Rock Review writes, "On each song, Scaggs puts his decades of experience and emotional connections to American roots music to work, producing a collection that stands as one of this year’s best blues records to date."[4]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Rich Woman"Dorothy LaBostrie, McKinley Millet2:59
2."I'm a Fool to Care"Ted Daffan2:06
3."Hell to Pay" (featuring Bonnie Raitt)Boz Scaggs6:16
4."Small Town Talk"Rick Danko, Robert Guidry3:41
5."Last Tango on 16th Street"Jack "Applejack" Walroth6:26
6."There's a Storm A' Comin'"Richard Hawley4:14
7."I'm So Proud"Curtis Mayfield3:38
8."I Want to See You"Jack "Applejack" Walroth5:42
9."High Blood Pressure"Huey "Piano" Smith3:35
10."Full of Fire" (featuring The Love Sponge Strings)Al Green, Mabon "Teenie" Hodges, Willie Mitchell4:18
11."Love Don't Love Nobody" (featuring The Love Sponge Strings)Joseph Jefferson, Charles Simmons5:10
12."Whispering Pines" (featuring Lucinda Williams)Richard Manuel, Robbie Robertson4:20
Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Gypsy Woman" (featuring The Love Sponge Strings)Curtis Mayfield2:57
14."Talk to Me, Talk to Me"Joe Seneca3:43
15."M. P. B."Cecil Womack, Linda Womack3:33

Personnel

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  • Boz Scaggs – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1, 3), guitars (2, 5, 8, 9, 15), acoustic guitar (4, 14), electric guitar (4), guitar fills (10), bass (14), vibraphone (14)
  • Jim Cox – Hammond B3 organ (1, 4, 6–8, 10, 11), acoustic piano (2–6, 9, 11), pump organ (6), Wurlitzer electric piano (7), Rhodes electric piano (13)
  • Seth Asarnow – bandoneon (4, 5, 8), pump organ (11)
  • Clifford Carter – synthesizers (6)
  • Michael Anthony Logan, Sr. – keyboards (15), programming (15), drums (15)
  • Al Anderson – guitar figure (1), "chunk" guitar (3)
  • Ray Parker Jr. – guitars (2, 5–11, 13), rhythm guitar (3), acoustic guitar (4), electric guitar (12)
  • Bonnie Raittslide guitar (3), lead and harmony vocals (3)
  • Paul Franklinsteel guitar (6, 12)
  • Reggie Young – guitars (10, 11, 13)
  • Willie Weeks – bass (1–13, 15)
  • Steve Jordan – drums (1-13), percussion (4, 5, 8), backing vocals (7, 8), horn conductor (10)
  • Michael Rodriguez – drum programming (14)
  • Jim Hoke – baritone saxophone (1, 2), bass clarinet (2, 8), accordion (4, 6), vibraphone (5, 7, 8), woodwind (5), woodwind arrangements (5), alto flute (8)
  • Eric Crystal – alto saxophone (1, 2, 8), tenor saxophone (1, 2, 8), acoustic piano (8), saxophone (14)
  • Doug Rowan – tenor saxophone (1, 8), alto saxophone (2)
  • Lannie McMillan – tenor saxophone (10)
  • Jack Hale – trombone (10)
  • Ben Cauley – trumpet (10)
  • Quentin Ware – trumpet (10)
  • Lester Snell – horn arrangements (10), string arrangements and conductor (10, 11, 13)
  • Anthony LaMarchina – cello (10, 11, 13)
  • Sarighani Reist – cello (10, 11, 13)
  • Monisa Angell – viola (10, 11, 13)
  • Kristin Wilkinson – viola (10, 11, 13)
  • David Angell – violin (10, 11, 13)
  • Wei Tsun Chang – violin (10, 11, 13)
  • David Davidson – violin (10, 11, 13)
  • Alicia Enstrom – violin (10, 11, 13)
  • Tony Lindsay – backing vocals (7, 9, 11)
  • Conesha Monét Owens – backing vocals (7, 9, 11)
  • Fred Ross – backing vocals (7, 9, 11)
  • Lucinda Williams – lead and harmony vocals (12)

Production

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  • Steve Jordan – producer, mixing (1)
  • Niko Bolas – engineer, mixing (2-13)
  • Dave O'Donnell – mixing (1)
  • Michael Rodriguez – additional engineer
  • Chris Taberez – additional engineer, mixing (14, 15)
  • Sean Badum – assistant engineer
  • Diego Ruelas – assistant engineer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Jeri Heiden – art direction, design
  • Nick Steinhardt – art direction, design
  • Danny Clinch – photography

Studios

  • Recorded at Blackbird Studio (Nashville, Tennessee) and The Barn (Napa Valley, California).
  • Mixed at Capitol Studios (Hollywood, California).
  • Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, California).

References

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  1. ^ Jurek, Thom. A Fool to Care at AllMusic. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Light, Alan (4 May 2015). "Boz Scaggs 'A Fool to Care' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Musical Maps".
  4. ^ "Boz Scaggs: A Fool to Care Review". Bluesrockreview.com. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2018.