Fats Domino is above all a lot of hits and a great impact on the music of the 50s, and therefore entertainment music in general. Although associated with the broadly defined rock’n’roll of the fifties, R’n’B Fats differs from the wildly popular then rockabilly played by Elvis or Perkins in that he does not implement elements of country music, but contains jazz and gospel influences.
This means that the music did not get older as much as albums of most artists from this period because of the much richer sound obtained thanks to wind instruments and piano boogie-woogie, which in turn gives a very cheerful and lively character to the whole project.
Unlike contemporary musicians, Fats Domino does not scream, does not pretend emotions in sloppy ballads, nor does he use archaic chorus today, his warm and sympathetic vocal remains a class to this day and even Elvis said “I will never be able to sing like Fats Domino.”
On this album you will find his classic Blueberry Hill. He had recorded that song earlier in 1940, but new times had arrived, new recording techniques were available and a new generation had arisen.
He gave the song a bit more swing and immediately scored a big hit in 1956 (more than 5 million singles sold all over the world!). This album was of course also a huge success, with not only that hit single as an opener but also other classics such as Blue Monday and Honey Chile.
The typical boogie-woogie style of Fats Domino’s piano prevails on all songs, as does his warm jazzy voice. Many songs are up-tempo and even danceable, while the slow songs never get corny. That makes this album one without fillers and only with excellent rhythm blues. Make sure to look for a CD version recorded directly from the masters. Because some cheap versions of LP are included and therefore of less quality. If you don’t find it, just look for the vinyl version. It is still very easy to find.
Listen to the full album below: