| Them Update Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Lowell Fulson | ||||
| Released | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Blues, West Coast blues | |||
| Length | 42:31 | |||
| Label | Bullseye Blues | |||
| Producer | Ron Levy | |||
| Lowell Fulson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Them Update Blues is an album by the American musician Lowell Fulson, released in 1995. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album. Them Update Blues was Fulson's second album for Bullseye Blues as well as his final studio album.
Production
Them Update Blues was produced by Ron Levy. Fulson wrote or cowrote the album's eleven songs. He was backed by the South Central Rhythm section. The Memphis Horns contributed to some of the tracks.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide |  |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | |
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that "these are picture-perfect West Coast blues—like fine brandy—smooth and sensuous with just the right edge." Stereo Review said that Fulson's "electric-guitar playing, juke-joint raw, wastes no notes, and his simultaneously gruff and mellow vocals get the job done with economy." The Retford, Gainsborough and Worksop Times noted that Fulson maintains "very high musical standards with gritty commitment."
The Age praised Fulson's "unhurried voice and flowing guitar" on "Sun Going Down". The Lake Geneva Regional News labeled the music "seductive and spiky." Metro Silicon Valley opined that "Sun Going Down" "ranks up there with the best of the West Coast blues pioneer's midnight-hour grinders, while the title track percolates with the down-home soul of Memphis-cooked stew."
AllMusic noted Fulson's "customary biting guitar and insinuating vocals."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "What's the Matter Baby" | 3:58 |
| 2. | "Think About It" | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Don't Lie" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "My Secret Love" | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Sun Going Down" | 5:18 |
| 6. | "Get On Down (Them Update Blues)" | 3:29 |
| 7. | "Lonely Man" | 2:58 |
| 8. | "Forty-Four" | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Too Soon to Tell" | 3:55 |
| 10. | "Not a Dime" | 3:15 |
| 11. | "L & L Special" | 3:42 |
| Total length: | 42:31 | |
References
- Takiff, Jonathan (August 22, 1995). "Hot spell persists on music scene". Florida/Metro. The Tampa Tribune. Knight Ridder. p. 4.
- Obrecht, Jas, ed. (2000). Rollin' and Tumblin': The Postwar Blues Guitarists. Miller Freeman Books. p. 47.
- "Grammy Nominations". Dayton Daily News. AP. January 5, 1996. p. 13A.
- "Lowell Fulson Biography by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- Russell, Tony (March 12, 1999). "Lowell Fulson: Always the blues". Obituaries. The Guardian. p. 18.
- Komara, Edward, ed. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Routledge. p. 850.
- Point, Michael (December 1995). "Licks galore — Them Update Blues by Lowell Fulson". DownBeat. Vol. 62, no. 12. p. 71.
- ^ Baxter, Nicky (May 16, 1996). "Fountain of Blues". Music. Metro Silicon Valley.
- ^ Reilly, Terry (November 17, 1995). "Red, Hot & Blue". The Age. p. EG8.
- ^ "Them Update Blues Review by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
- MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 134.
- The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 210.
- ^ White, Jim (November 23, 1995). "Recording Review". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. C11.
- Nash, Alanna (December 1995). "Popular music — Them Update Blues by Lowell Fulson". Stereo Review. Vol. 60, no. 12. p. 106.
- Bryan, Kevin (November 2, 1995). "Spirit of 60s". Retford, Gainsborough & Worksop Times. p. 8.
- Burke, Jack (March 28, 1996). "The Wax Works". Lake Geneva Regional News. p. 90.