Kim Wilson - My Blues (CD)

All Music Guide

Since the last Fabulous Thunderbirds album didn't feature any of the current band members except founder Kim Wilson, one may fairly ask what the difference is these days between a T-Birds record and a Wilson solo disc. The answer, at least on the basis of this one, seems to be that, while the T-Birds sessions find Wilson coming up with mostly original material in a blues-rock mode, his solo work consists mostly of covers in a straight electric blues mode. Here Wilson evokes such heroes as Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and, especially, Little Walter in three live-to-tape sessions cut in the fall of 1996 with a band led by pianist Fred Kaplan and bassist Larry Taylor. Junior Watson and Rusty Zinn alternate on guitar, while some tracks instead feature a two-man horn section of Scott Steen on trumpet and Tom Fabre on tenor saxophone. They acquit themselves well, though as with all such ventures, the obvious question for the record buyer is, why not listen to the originals instead? - ...William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide Read more Less