Search - Peter Frampton :: Fingerprints

Joe W. from MAITLAND, FL
Reviewed on 5/25/2010...

SOME COOL INSTRUMENTALS FROM A "FORMER" GUITAR GREAT!

Guitar skills trump hair... good for us!

Albert G. Smith Jr. | Daytona Beach, Fl USA | 09/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Guitar players that can only do three chords and a few blues licks could not pull off this album. Anyone that could get past the flowing blond hair and marketing to screaming girls back in the seventies, knew that Frampton was not just a minimally talented hype package, but instead was a very talented player that could drive home a power chord one minute and then do a delicate melodic run on an acoustic the next. Now that his hair is gone, the talent can stand on its own. In a world of pretty boys that are done as soon as the pretty wears off, Frampton continues because he was the real deal from the beginning.



This is a very fine album that could make average guitar players (like myself) feel like they don't know as much as they thought they did. It rocks, it is sweet, it is melodic and it flows perfectly from track to track. You don't get a sense of déjà vu in the middle, which says a lot that 14 songs can be distinctly different. While an instrumental, there are two minimal vocals including a Frampton obligatory talk box single line in "Black Hole Sun".



If there is one negative thing, I wish that Frampton followed the lead of others that did duet type albums, such as B.B. King. King made it a point to differentiate the guest guitarist from his own guitar by assigning a specific Speaker. King's solo notes come out of one speaker and Clapton's or Knopfer's (or whoever) come out of the other. I would love to know which lead was Frampton and which was say, Warren Hayes, both playing the same model guitar and with a similar phrasing over a slow blues shuffle. This is just a wish and does not reduce the score for me.



FWIW.... I bought my disc at Best Buy because it came with an exclusive DVD at no extra cost. The DVD is worth every bit the zero price increase. It is two songs right from the CD, with video of sessions from those songs. The playing rarely matches the actual music that is playing, in fact often there are no actual instruments being held. Still, it was nice to watch once or twice, but don't go out of your way to find one if you have the CD only.



Amended on 11 February 2007: This album just won a Grammy for instrumental record.

"

An Important Artistic Work For Frampton

Mark Wilson | Huntington, WV USA | 09/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Have listened to Peter Frampton's new instrumental album "Fingerprints" a few times now, and wanted to post a review. It's really good, but it's really different from his prior albums too. Being an instrumental album and having read the pre-release press I was expecting that, but was still surprised at the wide range of musical styles covered here. On first listen I wasn't sure it sounded like Frampton at all, on 2nd listen it sounded much more familiar, and by the third listen I could hear Frampton all over it. His fluid guitar leads & sound are unmistakable, but it's the shifting song styles he plays them over that make the album so diverse. This sounds like the kind of music he's probably always played when he was practicing, playing for his own pleasure, warming up during a soundcheck, or jamming on in the studio between takes for more "regular" sounding songs during previous album sessions. This is an important album for Frampton, and I think it establishes clearly just how accomplished a guitarist & musician he is. Most fans know this already, but this album shows just how much command over the guitar he really has, and how comfortably he can branch out into all sorts of playing styles to make the instrument do whatever he wants. More of a guitarist who also sings, rather than a singer who also plays guitar. Not all rock musicians could record such a diverse album as this. Each song demonstrates a completely different aspect of his playing ability, and puts him in the ranks of other jazz/rock/fusion instrumentalists. Another nice touch is that none of the songs play on for longer than they need to. On an instrumental album it would be easy to just play on forever, but all 14 songs here have very tight themes and arrangements, and keep the album moving. A few notes on the songs:



"Boot It Up" is a driving uptempo funky/jazzy tune that finds Frampton trading lead licks with tenor saxophonist Courtney Pine. Quite different and an immediate indication this isn't a traditional sounding Frampton album that simply replaces lead vocals with lead guitar. That's probably why it was chosen for the first song, but I'm also afraid it might throw fans off a little, which concerns me since this is an album you have to grow with somewhat. I personally would've chosen one of the songs that sound both different & familiar at the same time, but this is a good catchy opening track with some cool, rude riffs.



"Ida Y Vuelta" is a slower jazz piece that again allows Frampton to stretch into a playing style not heard on many of his other albums.



"Black Hole Sun" sounds a lot like the original, only with guitar playing the melody. It's the only song that features "vocals", with Frampton "singing" the last choruses using his famous talk box.



"Float" is a mid-tempo melodic tune where Frampton plays dual guitar leads with Gordon Kennedy, who co-produced and co-wrote much of the album. Some really nice slide guitar work.



"My Cup Of Tea" is the first song that sounds more like what fans might expect on a "traditional" Frampton album. It reminds me a lot of "Fig Tree Bay" & some of the other songs from his debut solo album Wind Of Change.



"Shewango Way" is the first real uptempo rock song, and is probably the point where fans who wanted more of a rock album will start to get more comfortable. It's still different from his previous rock songs though, and is one of the tunes I think might've made a better opening track. It's just a cool rock tune with some great guitar tones.



"Blooze" is a mid-tempo blues tune like the title suggests. I've always felt that Frampton has a unique talent for taking what at first sounds like a fairly traditional blues pattern, but then adds in unexpected chord progressions & melody that subtly elevate it into something more sophisticated & complex. Kind of like "Flying Without Wings" from the Now album. That's not a knock on blues at all, but in the hands of many other rock guitarists, a tune like this would never develop beyond an ordinary blues wanker. He has a very unique way of approaching the blues, and it would be interesting to hear him do a whole blues album someday. I remember thinking one time that if the Beatles had decided to form a blues band, they might've sounded like some of what Frampton does.



"Cornerstones" features Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman. Ironically, the songs on Fingerprints that feature well-known guest musicians sound more like traditional Frampton songs to me than other cuts. This is a really cool rock tune that could easily have been on his previous albums. Very tight and rhythmic and Charlie sounds great.



"Grab A Chicken (Put It Back)" is a fun up-tempo tune with some cooking show voice-overs in the background.



"Double Nickels" is a really interesting & intricate track where Frampton again employs guitar textures & phrasing a little different from his previous work. I have a hard time describing it. A sort of Spanish-tinged country rock, but more complex than what that sounds like. Roots music in a way but more refined, that you just have to hear.



"Smoky" is another unique Frampton blues track. See my notes for Blooze.



"Blowin' Smoke" features two of the guys from Pearl Jam, and yet again sounds like a more traditional Frampton song. This is probably the heaviest song on the album, with a thumping bass line that reminds me a little of the riff in Argent's "Hold Your Head Up". Some great lead guitar work.



"Oh When..." is a short acoustic piece, barely over a minute long. Just Frampton on this one.



"Souvenirs De Nos Peres (Memories of our Fathers)" closes the album, and is a fun traditional European-folkish sounding piece. It has a rich mix of textures, and was written by John Jorgenson who plays as well. (In a odd way, certain parts of it remind me of Randy Newman's music from the TV show Monk.)



Overall an artistically worthy follow-up to "Now". I'm a little concerned with how well this album will continue the momentum created by his very well-received "Now" album, only because instrumental albums are a little unusual in the rock world, but it's a very solid album and I think anyone who likes Frampton will enjoy it. And if you've continued reading this lengthy review all the way to this point, I'm sure you'll like it a lot."