When someone asks their in-home smart AI machine gizmo, “What are the blues?” the machine should play Freddie King.
He’s not the quintessential American blues artist. Give that honor to B.B. King or Robert Johnson or whoever. But he’s kind of the most perfect one. Why? His music sounds classic, but still a bit unfamiliar. Freddie has his distinctive elements — like bright, precise guitar solos and a soft voice that often breaks into a scratchy, strained roar — but the key to them is that they don’t overload the songs. Freddie’s songs don’t ever sound like “Look at me!” His playing always supports the song.
Along the same lines, these albums are graced with some pristine, by-the-book work by his band. The classic walking basslines, light but solid drumming, woody-sounding bouncing piano, and a silky smooth and sugary sweet horn section. (You probably couldn’t tell from the rest of this website, but I actually love horn sections!)
Born in Texas and raised in Chicago, Freddie is recognized as an innovator that combined the Texas and Chicago blues styles. I was born in 1984 and don’t know poop about the blues, so I don’t know what the hell that means, but it’s good enough for me. It sounds like American blues. If you own a dive bar anywhere in America, put on a Freddie King album and your bar just got more divey.
There are Freddie recordings going back to 1959, including a couple singles that gained mainstream popularity, yet somehow his first LP didn’t come out until 1969. And like a lot of stuff from that era, Freddie’s discography is complicated, with various singles and alternate editions released here or there. So, I’m going with the lazy rube’s solution of just going in the order that the Spotify gods have graciously given us, and I’ll hope the older stuff pops up on some release down the line.
My Feeling for the Blues
1969
7 hearts in misery out of 10
“She chases men in between. She mistreats me and she cheats me. Meanest women I ever seen.”
Dude, Freddie, just break up with her! Was that illegal in 1969 or something?!
… Oh, that’s a B.B. King cover. Whew.
“My girl, she’s so sweet. She’s my honey bee. She feels the same way about me.”
That’s more like it. You go, Freddie!
Anyway, this is textbook old blues, really easy to sway along with. There’s a few weepy songs, but mostly more upbeat ones, filled with Freddie’s high-pitched guitar licks and occasional scratch-growls. The horns and piano sort of come and go here and there. If it were possible for horns to be tightly tuned (it’s not) then that’s what they would be here.
Only two songs on here were actually written by Freddie, though, which is probably why it has a distinct “classic but unfamiliar” sound, and also gives it quite a bit of variety. With a low-fi, high-treble mix, modern ears might appreciate it more on a warm, bassy stereo, unless you want it to sound as old as it is, you know? Good album!
Freddie King Is a Blues Master
1969
8 fingers in my face out of 10
Man, what an arrogant title, huh? Not even Kanye West would pull something like that. I hope some marketing geek came up with it, not Freddie himself.
Odd format on this album: six normal songs, five instrumentals, then one more normal song.
As for the songs, it’s more tight textbook blues, more high pitches and low-fi production, but a bit more going on with the band this time. You get great active walking basslines all over it, an electric organ sometimes calling attention to itself and sometimes hanging back, and more of those great horns. The horns and guitars aren’t shy about stepping on each other’s toes, and I like it.
The instrumentals are a lot more funky, and those guitar licks tighten up to match, but they’re still there, still distinctly Freddie-style. One of them is actually called “Funky,” but it’s less funky than the next one, and less hot and juicy than “Hot Tomato,” where there’s some delicious organ/guitar interplay.
Since one of my only beefs listening to Freddie is I might get tired of his voice after a while, this album provides a sweet, easy-breezy listening experience.
Getting Ready…
1971
8 chitlins pizzas out of 10
Oodles of fun stuff on this album. It’s brighter, louder, more lush with instrumentation, sometimes rocking. “Going Down” was the song that got me into Freddie, a big bouncing good time with catchy vocals and wailing guitar and pounding piano. “I’m Tore Down” is like the definition of rocking blues, complete with familiar stops and starts and lines like “I’m tore down. I’m almost level with the ground. I feel like this when my baby can’t be found.” You know the type. “Five Long Years” bleeds anguish and rides a slow, beautifully touchy blues performance from the band.
It’s not the most consistent album though. A couple acoustic-based songs feel out of place. Freddie’s growl gets to be a bit much after the first 20 or so times. But whatever, the good stuff is great!
Texas Cannonball
1972
8 tears rolling down the street out of 10
MUCH more of a professional, modern-sounding production this time. More oomph on every instrument. It really fills up the speakers. Do I like it? Hell yeah, but I also like the more primitive sound of the earlier stuff. Can’t really say which sound I like more.
I’m gonna guess the songs fall into the Texas blues category, hence the album title, with more focus on the piano, no horns, and songs that sweat and weep like you would do on a hot, dry summer day.
Oh, important note: it’s basically another cover album. Only one song is written by Freddie. I don’t care much for his take on “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers, so it makes me wonder if I’d feel that way about the rest of them if I actually knew the originals.
You know what’s wonderful about this album, though? It feels like a complete, composed, consistent album. No song overstays its welcome. Each one moves nicely to the next one. The moods don’t get old, the instrumentation doesn’t get old. It’s 36 minutes packed with bluesy goodness.
Published October 2021