Customer Reviews
the texas cannonball. - By: M. G. Czubkowski, 26 Apr 2008 
Wow ,what a disc i did hear this about 20 years ago on tape & i had forgot just how dazzling freddie is.Not a bad track on the entire cd & his voice is amazing,the playing is stunning just try sugar sweet with its almost discord opening notes or the pure instumental pulp wood.I had a dream is pure electic blues with freddie sounding great,the jj cale number i got the same old blues never sounded this good before,buy this with confidence you will not be sorry.
Totally underrated Blues Soul Funk album!!! - By: Mr. K. Sinclair, 02 Nov 2003 I first heard this 10 years ago. I had the 2 cd King of the Blues box set of his 3 albums on the Shelter label & liked some of it so much that I wanted to hear more of his stuff. Burglar was all I could find at the time.
I put it onin the shop & I had a dilemma. This wasnt the Blues! Not the blues that I was religously listening to at the time anyway. First of all there were hornsin there. At the time I couldnt stand hornsin music (except classic soul) as I was a guitar nut & all I was interestedin was hearing the guitar.
Next up it was, well, just too damn funky!
I didnt really start to appreciate soul & funk until I wasin my mid twenties. I bought Burglar a few weeks ago & shook my headin embarrasment. How could I have not appreciated this album then?
It's funny how tastes change.
I still generally dont listen to much music that was recorded after 1980 because of the production used (Phil Collins drums etc) but my tastes are now much broader. If you are not a blues purist (whatever that is) & you love good music then this album is the very definition of good music! Yes you will need to appreciate soul & funk to fully appreciate this album but its probably not essential.
Lets get down to the music though.
The musicianship is amazingly tight. This is because the backing band are mainly culled from Gonzalez, an English group who recorded an album which has recently been rereleased by Soul Brother Records. Freddie is definitely on fire on this album & it sounds like he's having a ball. He seems to be feeding off the bandin a way that really comes across to you as you're listening. The album shows how 'hip' Freddie was too. The man was a real dude which he needed to be to pull off some of the funkier stuff. He's not pretending or being forced into a record executives marketing strategy here.
The band help to completely stand the old blues formulas & cliches on there heads which is why the album is so good. The horns dont intrude at all, like they do on Luther Allisons Night Life album (those Brecker Bros are overated if you ask me!).
The production is slick, but not sterile. Freddies voice is AMAZING! He's rarely sounded better. His playing is wonderful, much heavier & flashier than BB King & much more complex than Albert King. Freddie is actually my favourite of the Kings of the blues guitar, & when you're ready to hear something a bit different from the bog standard blues, then I cant recommend a better Soul Blues album than this one. Eric Clapton & his band back Freddie on Sugar Sweet, but it's interesting to note that it's by no means the best track on here. (Clapton just plays the rhythmin the left speaker, no soloing!) Thats a testament to how Great Freddie was, he didnt need anybody to prop him up, although with the backing band who play on the Burglar album he rises to the very top of his game.
Standout tracks: Pack it up, Getting Second Best, Texas Flyer & Burglar are all fantastic. Perhaps My Credit Didnt go through is a little bit cheesy, but it's enjoyably cheesy none the less! Thats the only track that isin any way contrived.
Buy it!! ;)
