Whop Frazier & Friends
By Choice
Whop Frazier: Doing It on My Own" (Stampede). Singer, bassist and arranger Whop Frazier's "Doing It on My Own" is
something of a coming out party, buoyed by the R&B veteran's spirit, soul and funk.
A Washington native best known for his long tenure with Bobby
Parker, this is Frazier's first full-length album. Listening to these eight tracks,
it's obvious he was intent on enjoying himself. He opens, not surprisingly, with a
brassy shout called "Funk the Blues," and quickly succeeds in carving out some
middle ground between James Brown and B.B. King. On "Whop's Jam," he ups
the funk ante considerably (with a big assist from the horns) and then helps singer and
guitarist Bobby Thompson punch up the blues staple, "The Next Time You See Me."
The two divide the lead vocals on spirited homages to Albert Collins ("Put the
Shoe on the Other Foot") and Stevie Ray Vaughan ("Pride & Joy"), but
Frazier's tribute to Collins is by far the more natural and winning.
Even so, the most moving track is "Wish I Never Loved
You at All," a soul ballad sung by Frazier with rueful honesty and graced by some
typically tasteful guitar work from Thompson.