Cold Snap (Albert Collins album)

Cold Snap is an album by the American blues musician Albert Collins, released in 1986.[1][2] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Traditional Blues Recording" category.[3] Collins supported the album with a North American tour.[4]

Cold Snap
Studio album by
Released1986
StudioStreeterville Studios, Chicago, Illinois
GenreBlues
LabelAlligator
ProducerAlbert Collins, Bruce Iglauer, Dick Shurman
Albert Collins chronology
Showdown!
(1985)
Cold Snap
(1986)
Iceman
(1991)

Production

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The album was produced by Albert Collins, Bruce Iglauer, and Dick Shurman.[5] Mel Brown, Jimmy McGriff, and the Uptown Horns played on Cold Snap.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Robert ChristgauB[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music     [9]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings    [10]
The Philadelphia Inquirer    [11]
Record Collector     [12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [13]

Robert Christgau called the album an obvious attempt by Alligator to win for Collins a Grammy.[8] The St. Petersburg Times deemed it "a hefty dose of Texas-style blues, augmented by the sounds of Chicago's south side."[14] The Globe and Mail wrote that "Jimmy McGriff and the Uptown Horns contribute more smooth edges to music that has the usual Collins power but not the usual Collins urgency."[15]

The Chicago Tribune wrote: "The skeptical should head directly to 'Too Many Dirty Dishes', where Collins' riffs seem to be literally scrubbing the pots and pans."[16] The Providence Journal-Bulletin declared that "what really strikes the listener this time is the masterful, ice-blue singing—tasty as a snow cone and brutal as frostbite—and the wry, semi-detached lyrics."[6]

AllMusic opined that Collins is "at his best when he's just playing the blues, not when he's trying to sing."[7]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cash Talkin' (The Workingman's Blues)"Odell McLeod4:30
2."Bending Like a Willow Tree"Lowell Fulson4:23
3."A Good Fool Is Hard to Find"Gloria Houston, Nina Shackleford4:15
4."Lights Are On but Nobody's Home"Albert Collins5:59
5."I Ain't Drunk"Joe Liggins4:06
6."Hooked on You"John George Brady4:23
7."Too Many Dirty Dishes"John Newton6:52
8."Snatchin' It Back"Clarence Carter, George Jackson3:33
9."Fake I.D."Albert Collins3:46

Personnel

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  • Albert Collins – guitar, vocals
  • Mel Brown – rhythm guitar
  • Johnny Gayden – bass
  • Jimmy McGriff – organ
  • Allen Batts – keyboards
  • Morris Jennings – drums, percussion
  • Uptown Horns – horns
  • Arno Hecht – tenor saxophone
  • Crispin Cioe – alto and baritone saxophone
  • Hollywood Paul Litteral – trumpet
  • Bob Funk – trombone

References

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  1. ^ "Albert Collins | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Watrous, Peter (November 25, 1993). "Albert Collins, Guitarist, Dies; Influential Blues Stylist Was 61". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Albert Collins". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Schuetz, Barbara (6 Nov 1986). "Rock 'n' blues". Best Bets. Columbia Daily Tribune. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 51. Dec 20, 1986. p. 64.
  6. ^ a b Angell, Bob (December 28, 1986). "Albert Collins". The Providence Journal-Bulletin. p. I8.
  7. ^ a b "Cold Snap - Albert Collins | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  8. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 28". Robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 480.
  10. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 130.
  11. ^ Tucker, Ken (4 Jan 1987). "Albert Collins, Cold Snap". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. G4.
  12. ^ Burke, Tony (October 2022). "From the Vaults". Record Collector. No. 536. p. 119.
  13. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 152.
  14. ^ Hall, Ken (18 Jan 1987). "Albert Collins' 'Cold Snap' turns toasty Series". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2E.
  15. ^ Miller, Mark (29 Jan 1987). "Cold Snap Albert Collins". The Globe and Mail. p. D3.
  16. ^ Brogan, Dan (26 Dec 1986). "Some Worthy Releases Hot Off the Guitar". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 74.