Fanning the Flames (album)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fanning the Flames | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| 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]
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
| 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]