nine cuts. Son Seals is no stranger to horns: his raw delivery and some economical charts jelled impeccably on his second release, Midnight Son. But things seem out of hand on Chicago Fire, just as they did on Alligator's recent Albert Collins LP, Frostbite. The conventional swing of Seals' backup horns often dulls the impact of the group's hard interplay. In "Watching Every Move You Make," the brassy arrangement throws the melody entirely out of focus.

Apart from this dubious production choice, there's much to admire here. Seals demonstrates throat-ripping drive as a vocalist, and his delivery is as sharp as a stiletto point. His guitar style pulses with blunt power, but he's also learned to tease out the notes: the pianissimo passages in "Leaving Home" and "Crying Time Again" provide the album's biggest jolts. As a songwriter, Seals continues to breathe life into the most hackneyed blues themes. "Buzzard Luck" reinvigorates the hoary bad-luck-and-trouble moan, while "Watching Every Move You Make" scores with a cutting depiction of jealousy.

Chicago Fire is a flawed but hardly failed project from a major blues talent. If Son Seals can strip down his sound for the next go-round, he'll deliver a record that will gutter-stomp the rest of the blues competition. (RS 328)

CHRIS MORRIS