AMG Review of Think Twice Before You Speak [SACD]

Chris Nickson
All Music Guide

The late Lowell Fulson had passed his peak when he recorded this album in London in 1984. After all, his classic sides had come in the '50s and '60s. But even a good 20 years later he could still cut it, as this disc shows all too clearly. Ably supported by Eddie C. Campbell on second guitar and John Altman on saxes, in addition to the excellent John Dummer on drums, Fulson showed that if he'd lost a step through age, he's gained two with experience. His guitar playing is as incisive as ever -- check out "Lowell's Jump" -- while his singing has simply taken on a rough, homespun authority. The 2004 reissue of this disc offers a new stereo mix in 5:1 Surround Sound on SACD that brings the session into your living room. The album might not qualify as a classic the way his earlier work did, but it remains eminently listenable, with tracks like "Come Back Baby" absolutely timeless.