Don't Overlook This Album!
The casual Blues fan or the "too busy" fan might look right past this album. That would be their loss because this is a truly enjoyable release. The name Fankhauser might look so European or unfamiliar that it would be foolishly dismissed without even listening to the CD.

Born in Switzerland in 1964, singer and guitarist Philipp Fankhauser is far from a newcomer to Blues and the international music scene. His guitar style shows the influence of his mentor, Johnny Copeland. Copeland met Fankhauser while on tour in Europe in 1984 and ten years later he asked Fankhauser to join him in the U.S., even living with the Copeland family in their house in New Jersey. Fankhauser sang with Copeland's band for a while and stayed in the U.S. to record and play until 2000, when he returned to Switzerland. Talk to Me is his tenth recording since 1989.

Shemekia Copeland writes in the liner notes, "I thought it was definitely cool for a German-speaking Swiss guy to come and live with a Black American family fresh out of Harlem. I've always been impressed with Philipp's musical ability; I mean he totally has it down! You know, it's only through the love of music that one can perform it convincingly and Philipp, clearly, has done his homework. He knows the music as well as anybody."

And the music he knows, found on Talk To Me, is richly reflected Malaco, Stax/Volt, and Copeland material done the Fankhauser way. Witness the third track, one of four covers, Larry Addison's "Members Only." Produced by Dennis Walker, the soul in Philipp's American-sounding vocals is river deep.
The album kicks off with an up-tempo original, "Ain't Gonna Give It Up." Lovers of tasty horn charts will be instantly pleased right from the opening notes supported by organ and rhythm guitar. Horn arrangements are by Scott Thompson and Jim Spake on Tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Horn arrangements by The Memphis Horns, Andrew Love, and Wayne Jackson, are found on Tracks 3 and 4.

Fankhauser's guitar playing is nicely showcased on the opening notes of the second track, Copeland's "Cut Off My Right Arm." Writes Shemekia, "He's always done an awesome job interpreting my father's material, and his versions of "Cut Off..." and "Flyin High" on this collection are no exceptions, proving that he really paid a whole lot of attention to what Daddy was doing."

Fankhauser's songwriting shows that he has been paying attention to more than just guitar picking. Check out his "Welcome To the Real World" for a quick pimp slap of what's down. "We don't know what you've seen, but we sure know what you're gonna see!" Talk to Me is an awesome production with 21 guest artists. Produced alternately by Dennis Walker and Bobby Kyle, it was recorded in Los Angeles, Lucerne (Switzerland), and Nashville with mixing and mastering in Memphis and Hollywood. The Blues music world is richer for it, don't miss it!
James Walker, BluesWax