Search - Lowell Fulson :: Hold On

Stylish

Jacob Weisman | San Francisco, CA | 09/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is nothing old fashioned about Hold On, recorded by blues veteran Lowell Fulson, who scored his first r&b hit back in 1948 with the classic "Three O'Clock Blues." This album. recorded at the Johnny Otis Studio in South Central Los Angeles on the night of the Rodney King riots, smolders with intensity from start to finish.



Fulson's voice, full and mature, blends perfectly with Joe Campbell's subtle, unobtrusive horn arrangements, creating a sound that is at once playful and anguished. Fulson still rocks hard, but at the age of seventy-one, he is restrained, showing little enthusiasm for pyrotechnics, relying heavily on storytelling and understatement.



Fulson's sparkling lead guitar, superb vocals, and strong writing conspire to make Hold On more than another comeback album by an aging musician. Fulson and his band play each note flawlessly, with workman-like precision. Hold On is so surprisingly fresh, so smoothly put together, one can only hope that Fulson continues to record for years to come."