Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Fred Tackett: In A Town Like This

Fred Tackett: In A Town Like This

By C. Michael Bailey
July 25, 2003
View read count

Little Feat guitarist Fred Tackett hails from Arkansas. That fact is written in every word he sings and plays on his solo release, In A Town Like This. In a musical coleslaw that combines equal parts blues, country, hillbilly, eastern, and western music, Mr. Tackett paints his soundscape with broad autumnal strokes that recalls Arkansas in August. The title cut begins with a Middle Eastern sound that disappears into a shuffling blues mirage. Accompanied by double bassist Domenic Genova and cellist Miles Tackett, the song immediately suggests an Ozark Bob Dylan singing a Robbie Robertson song.

The disc is populated with low-key songs replete with impressive guitar, mandolin, and bass playing. The lyrics are almost mystical, ranging from cautious anxiety ("A Blinding Faith") to lament ("Had We Known Better" sung with Lowell George's Daughter, Inara George). Mr. Tackett reprises "Honest Man" which he co- wrote with Lowell George to great effect. Listening to "Honest Man" one can hear exactly what contribution Tackett makes to the current Little Feat.

This is humid, dusty music, like that imagined as the soundtrack to a merciless Southern summer with no rain, just the promise of some.

For more information, see Little Feat, Hot Tomato and Fred Tackett .

Track Listing

In a Town Like This; A Blinding Faith; Gold Tooth Woman; Dance for Patricia; Domenic's Interlude; A Church Falling Down; Had We Known Better; Honest Man; Find A River.

Personnel

Fred Tackett

guitar

Fred Tackett: vocals, guitar, mandolin; Miles Tackett: cello, bass, producer; Domenic Genova: bass; Inara George: vocals.

Album information

Title: In A Town Like This | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Hot Tomato

About Fred Tackett

PREVIOUS / NEXT

God's Got It
< Previous

Cruisin w/Moxie
Next >

Become a Sustaining Member

Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.

Help Build the Future of All About Jazz

Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.

Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.

Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.