Billy Gibbons Joins Sue Foley for ‘Fool’s Gold': Premiere
A gruff, blues-soaked voice familiar to every ZZ Top fan powers "Fool's Gold," a key track on Sue Foley's forthcoming album Ice Queen. Listen to Billy Gibbons' new collaboration with the Canadian singer and guitarist below.
"This man is a master," Foley tells UCR. "Billy F. Gibbons has one of the best, lowdown, gravelly, smooth yet hard, back-beat heavy, groovy, stylish and most recognizable voices in blues and rock. I don't know anyone who can touch him. I kind of felt like a child playing next to a legend like Billy, but he was so inviting and supportive of me that I loosened up and we got down to business."
Written by Foley with album producer Mike Flanigin, "Fool's Gold" also features Chris Layton on drums and Flanigin on the organ. Together, they created an old-meets-new-school approach that had a huge appeal for Gibbons, who also added guitar and harmonica to the song.
"There’s a modern touch to step stridently into the expanse of contemporary sounds with some serious attention to vintage detail," Gibbons tells UCR. "Sue's delivery of style stands strong. Brute guitar tone with a rich and raunchy bite into the blues. Plays well with others and is cool, calm and collected!"
Ice Queen, which is due on March 2 from Stoney Plain, also features guest turns by Jimmie Vaughan and Charlie Sexton, a veteran of Bob Dylan's recent touring band. "Fool's Gold" was recorded and mastered in Texas, where Foley – a native of Vancouver – initially rose to fame as a transplant in the early '90s.
"This is a stone blues track, old school and real, and Billy put his stamp on it – big time," Foley adds. "He really drives this song it and, in some ways, I’m just along for the ride. But damn, what a great driver! When it looked like Billy was going to be on the album we knew this would be the perfect song for him to tear up."