Post by rtbuck on Jun 23, 2010 10:00:18 GMT -5
Peter Frampton – ‘Thank You Mr. Churchill’
Released: 2010
Label: New Door Records
Review by Bucky
I was reading the TV Guide the other night & noticed that Peter Frampton was going to be performing on the Jimmy Kimmel Show so I tuned in & waited for Frampton. Finally, with about 10 minutes to go Jimmy Kimmel announced that Peter Frampton has a new album out titled ‘Thank You Mr. Churchill’ & he was going to play a tune from it titled “I Want it Back”. The song kicked off with a cool riff & Frampton may not have the long golden locks he once had but he looked & moved around great as the song rocked the house. Frampton’s guitar work was phenomenal throughout the tune & my first thought was “I’m getting this album!” He also played “Show Me the Way” with a hard rocking intro which had me wondering if it really was going to be his big hit from the 70’s.
I bought the download of the new album & I enjoy the album as it’s full with a variety of music. Does it Rock??? In parts yes, probably a bit more than his previous releases did. ‘Frampton Comes Alive’ was my first Peter Frampton album & I thought it rocked out quite well but his studio albums were a bit of a disappointment upon my first listens. I was expecting them to be heavier because the live album had my expectations up high. Once I understood his style & his formula to each of his albums I realized what an incredible artist & songwriter he was. I didn’t particularly care for his follow up to the live album which was ‘I’m in You’. In fact it turned me off at first quite a bit but just like all Frampton albums, it had its moments especially on “(I’m a) Roadrunner”& “Signed Sealed Delivered”. Going back to his early albums such as ‘Frampton’s Camel’, ‘Wind of Change’, & ‘Frampton’ they all had 2 or 3 solid rockers but the rest of the album would be considered singer/songwriter genre. I thought ‘Breaking All the Rules’ was a decent comeback album to welcome Frampton into the 80’s & while most of the tunes kept up with the new 80’s style in a good way, Frampton really showed his rock roots on the title track & an awesome cover of the 60’s hit by the Easybeats “Fridays on my Mind”. One of my favorite studio album by Frampton is his 2006 release titled “Fingerprints” (which features an incredible instrumental cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”)
Anyway, onto the new album which may be his hottest studio release to date, "This album is very autobiographical," Frampton says. "It starts with my birth, which I thank Mr. Churchill for bringing my father back from the Second World War." The first 3 tracks (“Thank Mr. Churchill”, “Solution”, & “Road to the Sun”(which features his son Julian)) are all incredible rock songs with some ripping lead guitar & along with “I Want it Back” makes it worth the price of the album. “Asleep at the Wheel” is another solid track with an unbelievable instrumental break at about the 4:35 mark of the near 7 minute track which should be heard by all. The rest of the album is decent & has its moments especially on “Suite Liberte” which is an amazing jazz instrumental. “Invisible Man” is a cool sounding soul tune with some crisp & clean sounding guitar work. The closing song “Black Ice” is mellow but lyrically really sums up the meaning of this album & sums up Peter Frampton as well. The song is a great finish to a great album & if you were ever a fan of Peter Frampton go out & get the album. If you’re a fan of artists such as Rick Derringer or even Eric Clapton you will enjoy this album.
Bucky
