By Grant Britt

Imagine a mellow Joe Walsh, soulful and funky. Sam Frazier was the main progenitor of a sound called soulbop, syncopated Caribbean riddums with ah soul overlay overseen spiritually by Van Morrison and Little Feat,  created and nurtured in local Greensboro, N.C. group Tornado twenty plus years ago. On his own, Frazier is a bit more restrained in tone, but not in content. His latest, eponymous release is a collection of love songs- after a fashion. Obviously a fan of tough love, the singer/guitarist confesses getting whomped by love and lovers, but manages to get in a few pretty good licks of his own.

Although Frazier may be embittered by his romantic escapades, he manages to keep a sense of humor,   though admittedly an acerbic one. “You Can Call me Baby,” he tells one love interest, but before things get too snuggly, he adds the kicker: “on the way out of town.” But Frazier proves he’s not a completely heartless bastard, even going to the trouble to serenade his somewhat loved one with some beautiful fret work as traveling music for her to hit the road with.

Frazier’s got his Joe Walsh mojo working hard on “Clank of Romance,” which could have slid right off one of the early Eagles albums. In his worldview, romance clanks about, raising hell in the middle of the night, making everyone involved suffer from temporary insanity.

He switches gears for “Anything For You,” an old-fashioned country and western vehicle that gallops along at breakneck speed. “There’s one thing I won’t do/I’d never, never do/and that’s the thing I did to you yesterday,” Frazier confesses in an intimate whisper before ripping through a slab of ferocious fingerpickin  as fleetly and furiously as Marty Stewart’s lightnin’ fingered  Fabulous Superlatives bandleader Kenny Vaughan.

The record was produced and recorded by Britt “Snuzz” Uzzell, lead guitarist in the ‘90s pop band Bus Stop, which launched the career of pianist Ben Folds and featured his brother Chuck on bass, Evan Olsen on lead vocals, and drummer Eddie Walker, who also plays on Frazier’s album. Uzzell appears throughout the album on guitar, bass and vocals.

Despite Uzzell’s presence, this is no pop album. Frazier’s stuff isn’t easily pigeonholed. Don Henley with the soul of Van Morison comes close. His guitar playing is just gorgeous, although he’d probably punch you if you told him that to his face. Just go along for the ride, but be sure to fasten your seat belt- you’re in for a bumpy, but interesting trip.

The CD Release Party was outstanding (if I do say so myself)! HUGE THANKS to Martha Bassett, Pat Lawrence, Snüzz, Eddie Walker, Andy Ware, John Davis, Robin Davis, Bill Payne, Jim Ritchey, Peg Parham & everyone who came to the show!!!

Here are…The Numbers (Snüzz, Andy Ware, Eddie Walker & myself).

Heeeere’s…Martha (and me)!

I don’t have a photo of Pat from the CD release party, but this’ll do till I can find one…

It was recorded and co-produced by Britt Harper Uzzell (Snüzz) at Pinnacle Sound in Pinnacle, NC. It features Snüzz, Eddie Walker, Pat Lawrence, Scott Manring, David McCracken, Andy Ware & Martha Bassett. The cover was designed by Kat Lamp. It’s comprised of ten new (well, nine new and one remade) songs, all written by myself (one co-written by Pat Lawrence), and I’m real happy with it!

You can hear all the tracks from “Sam Frazier,” and from my first cd, “Half A Million Years,” by visiting the LISTEN page on this web-site. You can purchase both cds by visiting the STORE page and pressing a few buttons. Both cds are also available for download on CD Baby and iTunes.

Enjoy!

P.S. Big thanks to Ben Singer for setting up the LISTEN page!