Fanning the Flames (album)
| Fanning the Flames | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Studio | Dockside | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Telarc Blues[1] | |||
| Producer | John Snyder, Maria Muldaur, Elane Martone | |||
| Maria Muldaur chronology | ||||
| ||||
Fanning the Flames is an album by the American musician Maria Muldaur, released in 1996.[2][3] Muldaur labeled the album's music "bluesiana", a combination of blues and Louisiana good-time music.[4] Muldaur included songs with political or topical themes, a choice she had rarely made in the past.[5]
The album peaked at No. 14 on Billboard's Blues Albums chart.[6] It was Muldaur's first album for Telarc.[7]
Production
[edit]Produced by John Snyder, Muldaur, and Elane Martone, the album was recorded at Dockside Studio Recordings, in Maurice, Louisiana.[8][9] Bonnie Raitt duetted with Muldaur on "Somebody Was Watching Over Me".[10] Mavis Staples, Johnny Adams, Ann Peebles, Tracy Nelson, and Huey Lewis also sang on, or contributed instrumentation to, the album.[11][12] "Well, Well, Well" is a cover of the Bob Dylan song; Muldaur was inspired to record it after talking with Dylan about Jerry Garcia's death.[13][14]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [15] |
| The Commercial Appeal | [7] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [16] |
| MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide | [8] |
The Washington Post thought that when Muldaur "sings blues, R&B or hillbilly music today, she no longer skips lightly over the rhythm; she now reinforces the beat with her vocal oomph, and her throaty growls give her vocals a sassy edge they never had before."[11] Newsday wrote that "it's the ease with which Muldaur can shift from a raw Texas honky-tonk vibe to sly Chi-town sophistication that makes this collection of tunes so interesting."[17]
The Patriot-News stated that "longtime New Orleans keyboard stalwart David Torkanowski, while accorded minimal solo space, provides a vital melodic and harmonic foundation to the session."[18] The Buffalo News concluded that Muldaur's "slightly surreal, baby-doll voice ... has deepened and roughened over the years, but her taste in what to sing remains gutsy and close to impeccable."[19]
AllMusic wrote that "Muldaur belts out gritty blues and gospel and soulful R&B as very few can."[15]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Home of the Blues" | |
| 2. | "Fanning the Flames" | |
| 3. | "Trust in My Love" | |
| 4. | "Somebody Was Watching Over Me" | |
| 5. | "Heaven on Earth" | |
| 6. | "Stand by Me" | |
| 7. | "Talk Real Slow" | |
| 8. | "Stop Runnin' from Your Own Shadow" | |
| 9. | "Can't Pin Yo' Spin on Me" | |
| 10. | "Brotherly Love" | |
| 11. | "Well, Well, Well" | |
| 12. | "Strange and Foreign Land" |
References
[edit]- ^ Macnie, Jim (Sep 14, 1996). "Jazz blue notes". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 37. p. 46.
- ^ "Maria Muldaur Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Bream, Jon (16 Oct 1996). "Maria Muldaur takes soulful blues from sultry to funky at Dakota". Star Tribune. p. 4B.
- ^ Morse, Steve (8 Nov 1996). "Maria Muldaur at House of Blues". The Boston Globe. p. C12.
- ^ Spera, Keith (November 1, 1996). "N.O. Musicians Help Muldaur Fan 'Flames'". The Times-Picayune. p. L9.
- ^ "Maria Muldaur". Billboard.
- ^ a b Ellis, Bill (September 7, 1996). "Recordings". The Commercial Appeal. p. C3.
- ^ a b MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 572.
- ^ Jones, David. "Maria Muldaur". OffBeat.
- ^ Bego, Mark (2003). Bonnie Raitt: Still in the Nick of Time. Cooper Square Press. p. 212.
- ^ a b "Music Boxes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "The flames are fanned at the Yale". Vancouver Sun. 12 Dec 1996. p. C3.
- ^ Albertson, Chris (Jan 1997). "Fanning the Flames". Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 1. p. 103.
- ^ "Muldaur Blues-Bound Despite That Hit Song About an Oasis". TGIF. The Palm Beach Post. 21 Nov 1997. p. 22.
- ^ a b "Fanning the Flames". AllMusic.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 62.
- ^ Cooper, Carol (3 Nov 1996). "A Multifaceted Muldaur". Newsday. p. C25.
- ^ Neff, Russ (September 19, 1996). "'Fanning the Flames', Maria Muldaur". The Patriot-News. p. C3.
- ^ Simon, Jeff (October 18, 1996). "Muldaur's Hour". The Buffalo News. p. G8.