Fankhauser records outstanding albums in his home country Switzerland without being an outstanding singer himself. Within parameters, he works wonders with shadings and dynamics, and, as shown by seven selections on his 11th album, he has a gift for writing richly sonorous and sophisticated songs about secure, broken or quixotic relationships. Fankhauser also plays superb guitar on „Lonely In This Town.“ He’s fortunate to have Dennis Walker, once an associate of Robert Cray, contributing choice material and producing. Walker makes sure ex-Cray bassist Richard Cousins and the other supporting musicians compact soul and blues in the service of the song, no matter the tempo or mood.

Frank Hadley

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