Frankie Lee - Here I Go Again (2006)

Tracklist

01. I Really Love You
02. Don't Let My Baby Ride
03. Here I Go Again
04. Playin' With My Friends
05. Open The Door
06. Whole Lotta Nothin'
07. Smokestack Lightnin'
08. Can I Walk You To Your Car
09. Crossroads
10. Cry Me A River
11. The Snake
12. Rock My Soul

This soul drenched, R&B CD is a recording that Wilson Pickett wished he had made for his comeback. The disc was seemingly molded from the bottom clay from the river that flows through Memphis or out to sea at Muscle Shoals. Frankie's vocal performance throughout is extraordinary; it combines the intensity of Wilson Pickett with the smoothness of Don Covay and the power of Sam Moore. Other reviews have labeled him if as todays Otis Redding and indeed this disc contains' a tip of the hat to the man on 'Open The Door', but if anything, this appellation doesn't recognize his other obvious influences.
In melding these influences, Frankie comes up with an honest integration of his experiences. As a youth, he came up as many others in this time and place singing southern gospel in church. Then in the early 60's, he recorded for the famed Don Robey Duke/Peacock label and was a contemporary of Bobby Bland and Sonny Rhodes. This exposure led to him being picked up by the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Later in the 60's, he worked with many of soul and blues stars. These included, Junior Parker, O.V.Wright, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Joe Hinton and Albert Collins. This being only a partial list of the luminaries he played with until the late 70's. Finally, he broke out on his own, no longer a sideman he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. It was in one of his early back-up bands that he hired the then young and unknown guitarist Robert Cray.
The material he chooses on this offering are mostly covers, but they blend seamlessly as if woven by a master. The two self-penned originals are the bluesy title cut 'Here We Go Again' and the sing/speak number which is the albums weakest link, the repetitious moral paean 'The Snake'. The title cut let's puts everybody on notice that he can write an instant soul/blues classic.
Of the covers, many are perennials, such as Robert Johnson's' Crossroads', Eugene Smiley's 'I Really Love You', Chester Burnett's (AKA Howlin' Wolf) 'Smokestack Lightnin' and Hamilton Arthur's 'Cry Me A River'. Where these songs have been done innumerable times by innumerable artists, he breaths new life into them with his soul infused voice and style and unusual approach.
'Crossroads' comes off as a pleading soulful ballad with a great Bobby Murray, Albert King like guitar solo. 'I Really Love You' is a Stax/Volt style soul scorcher and 'Smokestack Lightnin' is characterized by it's smooth vocal delivery, backed by a country blues guitar, while 'Cry Me A River' is given a distinct jazz treatment. Whichever way you cut it, he makes these oft-recorded tunes his own in such a way you don't even think of comparing his renditions to the originals. Other standout tracks are the Little Milton style take on Robert Cray's 'Playin' With My Friends' and the rockin' CD closer 'Rock My Soul'.
Frankie's ability to make familiar material seem new and fresh is the overriding theme on this recording. He coaxes every note through his powerful vocal filter and has a knack of finding appealing alternative arrangements to familiar material. Another attraction this disc offers is that it captures the same immediacy of his legendary live performances. It dosen't seem over produced or rehearsed thanks to the work of Bobby Murray and Steve Savage. In the end, it makes one wish he visited the studio more frequently. Review by Brian Augustine

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