BLUES CD REVIEW
By Sonny Boy Lee
Amedee Frederick comes from the countryside around Abita Springs in St. Tammany Parish, just across Lake Ponchartrain from New Orleans. His Creole roots run deep and his family has been making music for five generations. Amedee: Creole Man is his debut CD and he is carrying on the tradition with flair and style.
His fiery approach to the guitar — pulling out every soul-drenched note — has been compared to Albert Collins, among others.
Listen to the title track, "Creole Man." The lyrics and the playing say it all. Of course, with Wilbert "The Junk Yard Dog" Arnold on drums and the great zydeco bassman Alonzo Johnson, how could you go wrong? Add David Frazier on rhythm guitar, Robert Wilson on bass, Davell Crawford and Bob Andrews on piano and Hammond organ, Jerry Jumonville on saxes and Tracy Griffin on trumpet, and the result is one outrageous Southern Louisiana musical gumbo.
When Amedee was a boy, he was exposed to a number of Delta musicians who jammed with his father. Later on, Amedee would share various stages with Lightnin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and other famous bluesmen. Check out the cover of Silas Hogan’s "Trouble in My Home" for some fine acoustic blues.
Two other covers are included on the CD. Slim Harpo’s "Raining in My Heart" and Earl King Johnson’s, "A Mother’s Love." Both are excellent.
The album was produced by New Orleans singer/songwriter Timothea, who also contributed two songs and co-wrote one other. Carolyn Frederick, Amedee’s wife, wrote "Payday Man," a medium tempo minor key blues that works well. "Cain Snake," put into a key of E shuffle slot, grinds along with slide guitar, while "Goin’ Fishin’" is a straightforward shuffle proclaiming the joys of fishing.
The CD ends, as it began, with Amedee thanking God "for always being there" in "Falling On My Knees," a soulful, acoustic song in authentic Delta tradition.
Amedee: Creole Man was produced for Blue Soul Records, recorded at Reel River Studio in Gretna, Louisiana, and engineered and mixed by Rhonda Lohmeyer. You can purchase the CD for $14.95 plus $3.00 shipping and handling from: Timothea, P.O. Box 750482, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115, or email for more information at: bluesoul@worldnet.att.net. Timothea also has a web site at: http://www.timothea.com.
Give Amedee a listen and you’ll become a fan. This is one great debut album.
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