"C" for Chicago

by Steve Freund

Overview

No one will accuse Steve Freund of having the greatest voice in the blues world. While Freund is an impressive guitarist, he is merely adequate as a singer. But when you're evaluating an album, it is important to look at the big picture. Taking different things into consideration -- impressive chops, adequate singing, likable songwriting -- one concludes that "C" for Chicago, although slightly uneven, has more plusses than minuses. Freund won't blow you away with a great voice, but he still gets his points across on enjoyable (if derivative) Chicago-style blues numbers like "Everytime I Get to Drinking," "Working Man," and "Please Love Me" (which employs Boz Scaggs as a second guitarist). One of the CD's most memorable tracks is "I Love Money," a humorous account of having champagne tastes and a beer budget. Like so many blues songs that have been recorded over the years -- or, for that matter, country songs -- "I Love Money" manages to laugh at life's disappointments. Freund also provides a few instrumentals -- which include "Mr. Jackson's Boogie" and the jazz-influenced "Cool Dream" -- and that is a good thing because they give him a chance to really stretch out on electric guitar. Although "C" for Chicago is a Chicago blues album first and foremost, Freund shows his appreciation of jazz at times. And that is why he was lucky to have guitarist/singer Dave Specter produce this album. A versatile musician, Specter has one foot in the blues and the other in jazz, and he serves Freund well on this generally decent but imperfect effort. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/23/1999
Label:	DELMARK
UPC:	0038153073428

Tracks

1. Please Love Me
2. "C" for Chicago
3. I Love Money
4. Wild Woman
5. Jumping at Shadows
6. Working Man
7. Forbidden Stuff
8. Pallet on the Floor
9. Highway Woman
10. 38th Street Blues
11. Everytime I Get to Drinking
12. Mr. Jackson's Boogie
13. Folks Like You
14. Cool Dream

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Steve Freund   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
David Maxwell   Guest Artist,Organ,Piano
Kim Wilson   Guest Artist,Harmonica
Boz Scaggs   Guest Artist,Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm)
Rob Waters   Organ
Harlan Terson   Bass
Sam Burckhardt   Sax (Tenor)
Terry Hanck   Sax (Tenor)
Wendy DeWitt   Piano
Willie Henderson   Sax (Baritone)
Dave Specter   Guitar (Rhythm)
Mark Fornek   Drums
Tim Wagar   Bass
Justin OBrien   Bass
Kevin Coggins   Drums
Mark Hannon   Vocals
Bot Dutko   Drums
Paula Burns   Vocals (Background)
Bob Carter   Drums
Austin DeLone   Organ
Pete Crawford   Guitar (Rhythm)

Technical Credits

B.B. King   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Robert G. Koester   Producer,Supervisor
Jules Taub   Composer
Nick Gravenites   Composer
Albert Luandrew   Composer
Albert King   Composer
Dave Specter   Producer
Duster Bennett   Composer
Michael Bloomfield   Composer
Kate Hoddinott   Artwork,Photography
Harvey Tillis   Photography
J. Michael Rodriguez   Engineer
George Hansen   Liner Notes
Steve Wagner   Engineer
Steve Freund   Composer