For the fans of both Blues based guitar music and Fender Telecasters, this is an album that is often observed as one of those that fans of that style of music need to listen to. Albert Collins, being one of the greatest Blues guitarists of the 20th century and also having this album widely spoken about as a classic album, there is really zero excuse to avoid this album as a whole. Recorded at Curtom Studios in Chicago, Illinois and released on Alligator Records, this album was produced by Bruce Iglauer, Richard McLeese and Dick Shurman. The album itself has eight songs and runs for nearly 37 minutes in total length. Albert Collins was backed by: Larry Burton (guitar), Allen Batts (keyboards), Aron Burton (bass guitar), Casey Jones (drums), A.C. Reed (tenor saxophone) and Chuck Smith (baritone saxophone). Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear if indeed, Albert Collins lives up to his name as a Blues legend.

1. Honey, Hush! (Talking Woman Blues) begins with some interesting Fender Telecaster playing that sounds sweet and soulful to listen to. Turns out that, yes, you can use a Fender Telecaster to play Blues Music as well. Albert Collins sings in a clear and good vocal delivery that is soulful. His guitar licks throughout are really excellent as well. This is Blues from the Soul, delivered to you on a sweet and energetic basis to listen to. This has the typical male-oriented lyrics that are about women in general, but the whole thing sounds amazingly great to listen to. A really gloriously fantastic and interesting tune to listen to. Albert Collins is a master of Ice Pickin’ guitar, and he proves that his sound, playing and tone are inimitable. The guitar solo section is absolutely fantastic to listen to. He doesn’t necessarily shred or play slow melodic lines, but strikes a decent balance between the two. A really great listen throughout that sounds stunningly cool, and the rest of the band supports this kind of music perfectly. Definitely awesome to hear. This is an underrated tune to listen to. A really powerful and fantastic listening experience that one can come back to, time and time again. Absolutely awesome to hear, and it has some excellent and mad simple soloing to conclude with. A winner of a song.

2. When The Welfare Turns Its Back On You begins with a loud drum section, leading into a fantastic and organic-sounding Blues Music piece. It sounds excellent and powerful, just being upbeat and solid throughout. These tunes are definite winners, sounding smooth and amazing. This is a good Blues Music tune that sounds straightforward, tasty and amazing to listen to. A good listen about poverty and hardships, and dealing with inequality at hand. Nonetheless, this is a great piece of social commentary about doing it tough and wondering if one would be better off dead instead. A glorious saxophone solo emerges in the midsection and sounds absolutely awesome to hear. This is a genuinely good listen which is sweet, smooth and soulful. It sounds as good and amazing as it did back in 1978. A searing guitar solo follows, which sounds top-notch and powerful throughout. All in all, this music is sensationally good, even if the Fender Telecaster is a slightly odd choice for the Blues. No worry, it all works wonderfully well here. An awesome tune to listen to, which is a good story about dealing with the welfare department. A glorious song, and a moral lesson about dealing with one’s finances. Awesome tune to hear from start to finish. Excellent.

3. Ice Pick begins with some sweet and punchy guitar licks, minus a ton of guitar effects. This quickly launches into a smooth, sweet and delicious tune with organ, saxophone and other instrumentation to match it all. This is a fantastic piece of music with some awesome and intricate Blues Music playing in it all. A really great tune to listen to, this has some awesome and definite original character to it all. Who said you can’t use a Fender Telecaster to play the Blues? This album shatters the traditional notion of the instrument in this genre, as Albert Collins breaks down barriers. All in all, a very fine listen and something one can easily appreciate. An awesome instrumental, not too far away from the works of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton. This is an awesome tune to listen to. Great work. The shredding at the end is awesome.

4. Cold, Cold Feeling begins with a thunderous drum hit section, followed by glorious guitars and organs to match. Albert Collins does very nicely on this song, and he delivers a more subdued number at hand. This is about dealing with the difficulties of breaking up in a relationship, and is matched by the best musicianship that the Bluesmen at the time could offer. This sounds sensationally good, and is a fluid, articulate and artistic shot at making music from the soul. The guitar licks throughout are excellent, and this music will lift your spirits. Albert Collins launches into a fantastic piece of Blues soloing in the midsection, which indeed sounds really great. An awesome listening experience, and a great way to hear the Blues being played on the Fender Telecaster. The lyrics are awesome as well. Compared to much of today’s music in the postmodern world, Albert Collins sounds like a real musician who packs a punch. A really awesome listen about breaking up out of necessity. This concludes with some of the best Ice Pickin’ you will ever hear. A brilliant listen from start to finish. It sounds truly awesome to hear. A genuinely great song. Awesome.

5. Too Tired is a shorter piece that has some searing leads and a call-and-response with an organ. This is a gloriously fantastic tune to listen to. It launches into a good song about being fatigued and tired of things in the world. This is a sensationally good listen, and it sounds energetic for such a tune about being too tired to deal with anything. The Fender Telecaster playing is simply stunning on this tune. A very great listen indeed. Albert Collins blows away a large part of the competition from the time and beyond in his very own and special way. This song is a short, sweet winner and articulates the Blues very well. An awesome listen from start to finish, with the call-and-response at the end sounding fabulous. Mint.

6. Master Charge is a longer piece, beginning with a beautiful saxophone. It launches into a sweet yet sleazy sounding Blues Rock groove that simply sounds awesome. This is a song about giving the lady of one’s fancy a licence to spend their pay in an instant. An awesome song, but understandably a cautious one in terms of spending one’s money. A really cool tune all the same, and Albert Collins and his friends deliver a forward-thinking and articulate song that sounds really great throughout. The guitar solo section in this song is very amazing, and it shows the band at a musical high, along with their playing on the rest of the album. A superb listen throughout that is a moral lesson about spending money. Money certainly is great, but all the same, it is what one does with it that counts. Anyway, all the same, a very sweet and upbeat song to listen to. There is a definite late 1970s vibe to this album and song. Great to listen to. Seriously good.

7. Conversation With Collins is an extended piece at nearly nine minutes long. It has some ferocious guitar playing, and Albert Collins brings a soulful and uplifting sense of dimension to the guitar. It sounds really gorgeous, and is exactly what one needs to hear if you dig Blues Music from the Fender Telecaster. He sings from the perspective of a conversation with one’s lover, and he delivers a sensationally good tune with some of the band commenting on the story at hand. A fantastic listen. This has mellow guitar, interesting piano parts and some subtle drumming to match. Sure, not all households are like this in reality in the story, but the music and sounds are fantastic and match the story at hand. Albert Collins plays a beautiful guitar solo, with the straightforward story and well-structured lyrics also matching this song. A really cool listening experience that sounds awesome. The band are supporting Albert Collins in his storytelling, and their presence is well valued here. An excellent tune at hand, Albert Collins plays the role of storyteller very, very nicely. The guitar playing is sensationally good throughout, and young men in particular will dig this particular song. The guitar licks, again, though, are really fantastic to hear. A seriously great listen, this is not something that would appeal to young people today, particularly young women. However, it is great. Albert Collins launches into some subdued licks at hand, and it’s a very, very suspenseful tune at hand. It peaks towards the end (no spoilers here), with some seriously good guitar playing that matters, and the band does their absolute best to shine. A brilliant listen, if you have the patience for a long Blues jam. Brilliant, though.

8. Avalanche is the final track on the album, beginning with some furious drum rolls and launching into a closing Blues jam for all of you who desire and demand the Blues. Albert Collins plays furiously throughout, and he sounds very, very good in a musical sense. The guitar playing is better than your average YouTube guitarist today. Albert Collins sounds blistering here, reaching a single-note climax throughout in the solo section. Fantastic, and he puts himself between melodic and shred almost perfectly. This music is insanely good to hear. Fun, fresh and exciting, more music should be like this today. An awesome winner from start to finish.

Albert Collins seriously puts in a great performance on this album. Not only does he and his bandmates play in a thoroughly professional and fantastic way, but this album is a memorable one. Not everyone will like the Blues, but if you would love to hear how The Iceman himself got his name, look no further. This is some of the best Fender Telecaster Blues Music you will hear in your life. Should you listen to this album? Definitely give it a go, especially if you like guitar-based music. Fans of Electronic Music will likely want to look away, however.

The Master Of The Telecaster.

9/10