Is Tinsley Ellis’s heart more of a bluesman or a guitarist?
When I first heard his 1989 album
Fanning The Flames in college, I thought that he was
successfully straddling both lines. And when I found this one on
the shelves of the Pierce Archives (sorry, Mr. Crosby, the buffet
is closed), I started waxing nostalgic about this album. So, off
the shelves and into the CD player it went…
And, nothing… was this the same album I had praised to the
highest levels not even 10 years ago? I listened to it again… and
again… still nothing.
And after much soul-searching, I finally came to the realization
that Ellis is more of a guitar player than a bluesman. Damn… had
he been able to merge the two,
Fanning The Flames would have stood the test of time better
than it has.
Ellis’s style isn’t one of flash, but of substance. He could
probably bend hundreds of notes out of the neck of his
Stratocaster, but he’s more interested in laying down a groove as
well as lighting the fretboard on fire. On tracks like “Pawnbroker”
this is most evident. Ellis’s rhythm guitar line kind of reminds me
of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Likewise, the instrumental “Fender Blender”
demonstrates his talents well.
But many other songs just don’t catch fire like they probably
could have been. Example: “Mr. Night Time”, the album’s closer,
just lacks something. Same thing goes for “Must Be The Devil,” a
song which I always remembered having more of a sinister vocal than
it actually does.
And the problem is pretty easy to pinpoint: Ellis really doesn’t
sound like his heart is in what he’s playing. It’s almost as if
Ellis isn’t comfortable with the music he’s presenting to the
listener. His cover of the Motown classic “Leavin’ Here” is a prime
example – if it was any more sterile, it would belong in a
hospital. Even when Ellis tries to get funky, like on “Put Me Where
You Want Me,” the damage has already been done.
Ellis’s backing band doesn’t help matters out much. Bassist
Wayne Burdette could use a lesson in funk, as could drummers
Yonrico Scott and Guy Locke.
The sound on
Fanning The Flames matches the music – it’s a tad flat. This
is a surprise, seeing that Brendan O’Brien was one of the engineers
on this project. But one wonders if the overall groove of the album
would have been better had it been just a little sharper. As it is,
Fanning The Flames is a passable listen, but you constantly
wonder about what might have been.
And it’s not that
Fanning The Flames is a bad album. Had a few factors fallen
in different directions – hell, even if
one negative aspect had been changed – there would have been
more to cheer about.
