I guess if B.B. King can record a half-dozen or so live albums, our own King—Little Freddie—is entitled to record his second one. While these recordings aren’t dated, they appear to be fairly recent and from a New Mexico festival appearance. There are no frills here as Freddie rips through a fairly workman-like set of traditional blues.

Several influences are heard in Freddie’s music, as one can discern elements of Jimmy Reed, Lightnin’ Slim, Frankie Lee Sims, Smokey Smothers and of course his mentor, Freddie King, to name but a few along the way. Little Freddie is a bit of a rarity as his guitar playing seems to improve with each succeeding release and he really spits out some interesting licks. Some of the songs here get off to a chaotic start—check out “Walkin’ with Freddie”—but the band seems to recover and scramble along behind King’s “unique” timing (the standard 12-bar blues pattern doesn’t necessarily always pertain to our man here). If you’ve seen King in the last couple of years at B.J.’s Lounge, you’re probably familiar with the material—”Cleo’s Back,” “I Used to be Down,” “Mean Little Woman,” etc. A worthy release, a true representation of King’s music and quite enjoyable.