Cold Snap
Studio album by
Albert Collins
Released1986
StudioStreeterville Studios, Chicago, Illinois
GenreBlues
LabelAlligator
ProducerAlbert Collins, Bruce Iglauer, Dick Shurman
Albert Collins chronology
Showdown!
(1985) 		Cold Snap
(1986) 		Iceman
(1991)

Cold Snap is an album by the American blues musician Albert Collins, released in 1986.[1][2] The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Traditional Blues Recording" category.[3] Collins supported the album with a North American tour.[4]

Production

The album was produced by Albert Collins, Bruce Iglauer, and Dick Shurman.[5] Mel Brown, Jimmy McGriff, and the Uptown Horns played on Cold Snap.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Robert ChristgauB[8]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[9]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[10]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[11]
Record Collector[12]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[13]

Robert Christgau called the album an obvious attempt by Alligator to win for Collins a Grammy.[8] The St. Petersburg Times deemed it "a hefty dose of Texas-style blues, augmented by the sounds of Chicago's south side."[14] The Globe and Mail wrote that "Jimmy McGriff and the Uptown Horns contribute more smooth edges to music that has the usual Collins power but not the usual Collins urgency."[15]

The Chicago Tribune wrote: "The skeptical should head directly to 'Too Many Dirty Dishes', where Collins' riffs seem to be literally scrubbing the pots and pans."[16] The Providence Journal-Bulletin declared that "what really strikes the listener this time is the masterful, ice-blue singing—tasty as a snow cone and brutal as frostbite—and the wry, semi-detached lyrics."[6]

AllMusic opined that Collins is "at his best when he's just playing the blues, not when he's trying to sing."[7]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Cash Talkin' (The Workingman's Blues)"Odell McLeod4:30
2."Bending Like a Willow Tree"Lowell Fulson4:23
3."A Good Fool Is Hard to Find"Gloria Houston, Nina Shackleford4:15
4."Lights Are On but Nobody's Home"Albert Collins5:59
5."I Ain't Drunk"Joe Liggins4:06
6."Hooked on You"John George Brady4:23
7."Too Many Dirty Dishes"John Newton6:52
8."Snatchin' It Back"Clarence Carter, George Jackson3:33
9."Fake I.D."Albert Collins3:46

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "Albert Collins | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Watrous, Peter (November 25, 1993). "Albert Collins, Guitarist, Dies; Influential Blues Stylist Was 61". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Albert Collins". GRAMMY.com. November 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Schuetz, Barbara (6 Nov 1986). "Rock 'n' blues". Best Bets. Columbia Daily Tribune. p. 2.
  5. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 51. Dec 20, 1986. p. 64.
  6. ^ a b Angell, Bob (December 28, 1986). "Albert Collins". The Providence Journal-Bulletin. p. I8.
  7. ^ a b "Cold Snap - Albert Collins | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  8. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 28". Robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 480.
  10. ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 130.
  11. ^ Tucker, Ken (4 Jan 1987). "Albert Collins, Cold Snap". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. G4.
  12. ^ Burke, Tony (October 2022). "From the Vaults". Record Collector. No. 536. p. 119.
  13. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 152.
  14. ^ Hall, Ken (18 Jan 1987). "Albert Collins' 'Cold Snap' turns toasty Series". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2E.
  15. ^ Miller, Mark (29 Jan 1987). "Cold Snap Albert Collins". The Globe and Mail. p. D3.
  16. ^ Brogan, Dan (26 Dec 1986). "Some Worthy Releases Hot Off the Guitar". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 74.
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