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Review (++++)

Fast Fingers is Jimmy Dawkins first solo album. He´d played on some other Delmark releases, but now he headed his own group. This is a good album, but it kind of feels like its´s a Sixties folk blues album, e.g. the market for the album is not the black community but the students at Chicago University. But there are moments of pure enjoyment here! It´s Dawkins first solo album,  it´s a solid blues album and it might be the most West Side Jimmy ever recorded.

• It serves me right to suffer (4.10)
  First time I heard this song it knocked me out! I had heard Hot Wire 81 and heard Dawkins play second guitar on a Luther Allison album and Dawkins didn´t exactly make an impression as a fiery guitar player. I must say I don´t think Dawkins backup jobs at Delmark shows the best sides of his ability. Anyway, on this track Dawkins singing is very cool and the whole track is laid-back. Jimmy is at his best when he has a solid West Side rhythm to play and the guitar pattern here is very delicate. Very West Side and very cool.
• I wonder why (3.07)
  If the first track was laid-back this one is a hard driving shuffle. Jimmy Dawkins shows why he got the nickname Fast Fingers.
• I´m good for nothing (5.14)
  Whoa! That guitar intro! Jimmy Dawkins had full control of his instrument already in 1969. Stinging notes, those special "choking" notes and fat chords. Again that West side feeling. The backup band with Mighty Joe Young and Eddie Shaw riffs in the back. Solid blues. It´s been a long time since I listened to Fastfingers. This is good!
• Triple trebles (2.45)
  An instrumental and what an instrumental. Rapid-fire licks, mean ugly chords and again a West Side riff makes this one of the best instrumentals Jimmy have recorded.
• I finally learned a lesson (3.44)
  A slow blues with a long, long guitar intro. A perfect example for the typical Dawkins heartbroken guitar notes.
• You got to keep on trying (4.13)
  The B-side of the LP is not as strong as the a-side. It´s hard to tell why, but the songs don´t have the same feeling. Anyway, the first song is a standard Chicago slowblues with text lines as "Love don´t love nobody..." etc. Eddie Shaw makes some nice background fills. After listening to the song some more times I´ve slightly changed my mind. The guitar sounds real heartbroken and the lyrics are stronger than I thought before.
• Night rock (3.23)
  Well, well. I had forgot how tight this instrumental was. Jimmy's guitar sounds really sharp and electric. Concentrated guitar and it´s all very very West Side. Great track!
• Little angel child (4.00)
  A semi-paced shuffle with a boogie woogie  bass figure. This tracks have a kind of swampy feeling. Relaxed and sharp at the same time.
• I don´t know what love is (5.57)
  A version of "Don´t throw your love on me so strong". Jimmy sings "Hey baby... " and I´m caught in the blues web of Jimmy Dawkins. The guitar intro is a killer where Jimmy mixes anguished notes with blistering runs high up on the fretboard. But of the four slow songs on the LP this is the least interesting.
• Breaking down (5.32)
  A long instrumental. Mighty Joe Young plays some nice backup guitar. Again very West Side. But the song is too long!
• Sad and Blues (4.55) [Cd-bonus track]
  A rather standard slow blues. It fits in on the album, but brings nothing new to it.
• Back Home Blues (3.50) [Cd-bonus track]
  An uptempo song with a long intro by Dawkins. Note that Jimmy had to go back to the studio when the Lp was to be reissued as a cd and add a new vocal track! Jimmy plays a good solo and great rhythm and overall a solid song.