Alive and Kickin' (album)

Alive and Kickin'
Studio album by
Fats Domino
Released2006
GenreR&B, rock and roll
Labeltipitinasfoundation.org[1]
ProducerFats Domino
Fats Domino chronology
Golden Legends: Fats Domino Live
(2005) 		Alive and Kickin'
(2006) 		Live from Austin TX
(2006)

Alive and Kickin' is an album by the American musician Fats Domino, released in 2006.[2][3] Proceeds from the album were directed to Tipitina's Foundation, an organization committed to preserving the musical culture and legacy of New Orleans.[4] The album raised around $150,000 for the foundation in its first year of release.[5]

Alive and Kickin' was Domino's final studio album.[6] He had intended to support it by headlining the 2006 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, but had to cancel due to illness.[7]

Production

The album's 13 tracks were recorded at least six years before they were released.[8] Much of the album was recorded at Ultrasonic Studios, New Orleans.[9] The songs were written by Domino, aside from one by Bobby Charles and one by Floyd Tillman.[10] Domino's backing band included saxophonist Herbert Hardesty and, from the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, saxophonist Roger Lewis.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Robert ChristgauA−[8]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[12]
Rolling Stone[1]

Robert Christgau wrote: "Calm and meditative rather than playful and ebullient, this is a record only the most congenial of rock 'n' roll legends could have created."[8] The New York Times stated that "the album mingles Mr. Domino's rolling New Orleans rhythm-and-blues piano and horns with touches of synthesizer or slide guitar ... His genial croon can sound close to country music."[9] OffBeat deemed "One Step at a Time" "perhaps the best performance," calling it "a slow moaner ... right out of 1958."[13]

The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Domino "rolls with his usual aplomb through his trademark R&B and 'good-time rock-and-roll'."[12] The Advocate concluded that "the sporadic substitution of synthesizer for horn solos and string sections is the only drawback about Alive and Kickin'."[11] The Baltimore City Paper lamented that "there's no chemistry between the singer and the musicians, and the songs lack the rhythmic propulsion of Domino's classics," but acknowledged that the tracks "have the same infectious hooks of his early hits."[14]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Alive and Kickin'" 
2."Love You Till the Day I Die" 
3."I'll Be All Right" 
4."I Spent All My Money Loving You" 
5."Give Me Some" 
6."One Step at a Time" 
7."Home USA" 
8."Every Night About This Time" 
9."Four Leaf Clover" 
10."It Makes No Difference Now" 
11."This is My Story" 
12."You Made a Vow" 
13."Ain't That a Shame 2000" 

References

  1. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (Apr 6, 2006). "Alive and Kickin'". Rolling Stone. No. 997. p. 62.
  2. ^ Spera, Keith (April 24, 2012). Groove Interrupted: Loss, Renewal, and the Music of New Orleans. Macmillan. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Finkelman, Paul (November 27, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American History, 1896 to the Present: J-N. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  4. ^ "Fats Domino, 'Alive and Kickin' After Katrina". NPR. Archived from the original on 2021-07-17. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  5. ^ Blumenfeld, Larry (27 Sep 2007). "Fats still has the Domino effect". Ottawa Citizen. Reuters. p. E13.
  6. ^ Browne, David (October 27, 2017). "Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Others Remember Fats Domino". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Plaisance, Stacey (8 May 2006). "New Orleans Jazz Festival Attracts Wide Array of Performers, Music Fans". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. p. C5.
  8. ^ a b c "Fats Domino". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on 2019-10-13. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  9. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (February 28, 2006). "Fats Domino Sets an Example for New Orleans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Dean, Mac (Dec 21, 2007). "Catch up on the NOLA music scene". Goldmine. Vol. 33, no. 26. p. 8.
  11. ^ a b Wirt, John (April 7, 2006). "Fats Domino Alive and Kickin'". Fun. The Advocate. p. 12.
  12. ^ a b Christiano, Nick (23 Apr 2006). "New Orleans musicians won't let catastrophe stop them". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. H14.
  13. ^ Hannusch, Jeff (May 2006). "Reviews". OffBeat. Vol. 19, no. 5. p. 118.
  14. ^ Himes, Geoffrey (August 16, 2006). "Ain't Done Yet – Crescent City's Musical Traditions Still Fertile on Parcel of New Albums". Music. Baltimore City Paper.