Albert Collins – Cold Snap –Alligator Records ALCD 4752

This Grammy Award nominated nine-cut 1986 outing by the bluesman affectionately known as “The Master Of The Telecaster” was recorded and mixed at Streeterville Studios in Chicago, Illinois, having been produced by label head Bruce Iglauer, music journalist, historian, and author Dick Shurman, and Collins.  The release was the seventh and final Collins collection on Alligator Records before he moved to another label. 

The collection features a number of what have gone on to become some of Collins’ most well-liked songs, including the raucous party ode “I Ain’t Drunk,” the tale of a stealthy meal and mush else revealed in “Too Many Dirty Dishes,” and the layers of distrust found in a woman for her truly good man in “Light’s Are On But Nobody’s Home.” 

Collins cherry-picked a top-shelf cadre of musicians to realize his blues visions, including Mel Brown on rhythm guitar, both Jimmy McGriff and Allen Batts on keyboards, Johnny B. Gayden on bass, Morris Jennings on percussion, and The Uptown Horns (Crispin Cioe (saxes), Bob Funk (trombone), Arno Hect (tenor sax), and Hollywood Paul Litteral (trombone).

Across the panorama of this CD, Collins’ guitar assault remains as icy, slashing, and deeply emotive as ever, and his singing, in that half-spoken, half-sung manner, is confident and thoroughly conveys the story at the root of each tune.

The wide breadth of experience, and individual and collective musical proficiencies, of each backing studio artist brings a depth of feeling and firm direction to every selection laid down.

In seven short years, Collins would be gone, but his legacy with Alligator Records is one of uniform quality.

Below are the tracks from this highly recommended document, one your collection would benefit from!

Song Titles

• Cash Talkin’ (The Workingman’s Blues)
• Bending Like A Willow Tree
• A Good Fool Is Hard To Find
• Lights Are On But Nobody’s Home
• I Ain’t Drunk
• Hooked On You
• Too Many Dirty Dishes
• Snatchin’ It Back
• Fake I.D.