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I’d say that this is Eden’s best album to date, she sings strongly throughout plus she wrote all the

songs here (together with Bob) and I was very impressed by the guitar and drums which
supported her perfectly. Despite the same line up on each track there still seems to be lots of
variety here with different styles and feels and I think this is easily on a par with her US-produced
albums. I’ll really look forward to what she does next - hopefully in much less than ten years.

Graham Harrison

Paul Oscher—Live at the Tombs—Louis Erlanger

I first saw Paul Oscher play harp during his five-year stint in
the Muddy Waters Band in the late 1960s (he was the first white
player in the band). This album was recorded live at New
York’s Tombs House of Detention in the late 1980s and features
Paul on vocals, harp and guitar, with the excellent David
Maxwell (piano), Steve Gomes (bass) and Candy McDonald
(drums). We kick off with two Little Walter tracks featuring
Paul on harp, a blistering version of ‘Off the Wall’ and the slow
blues ‘Blue Midnight’ – with Paul demonstrating his killer harp
tone. Next up is pianist Bob Gaddy who does Big Joe Turner’s
‘Flip, Flop and Fly’ and Chuck Willis’ ‘You’re Still My Baby’
before being joined on vocals by Rose Melody for a rousing version of ‘Stagolee’.

Rose stays for the powerful slow blues ‘Stormy Monday’ with Paul playing lead guitar. Then David
Maxwell steps up for a rollicking take on Meade Lux Lewis’ ‘Honky Tonk Train’ and also Erskine
Hawkins’ classic ‘After Hours’. Gaddy is back for ‘Kansas City’ with Paul on guitar, then Rose does
Johnnie Taylor’s ‘Steal Away’ with again Paul on guitar before she launches into the hymn ‘Silent

Night’ (it was near Christmas!). Paul then closes the show on guitar with ‘Slideaway’ a cheeky
steal of Freddie King’s ‘Hideaway’. In some ways it’s a bit of a cheat for this to be labelled a Paul
Oscher album as he only fronts half the songs but, despite the poor sound, the very enthusiastic
audience response is quite touching. Paul was always held in high regard by his contemporaries,
although he could be difficult – I was recently reading how while he was playing with Muddy,
Muddy invited Charlie Musselwhite up from the audience to play with him and before Paul left
the stage he readjusted the controls on his amp so that when Charlie started playing he got
uncontrollable feedback! I did go to see Paul in the UK in the 2000s – but he didn’t turn up for
the gig. Paul died of Covid in 2021 aged 74.

Graham Harrison

The Fabulous Thunderbirds—Struck Down—Stony Plain
ASIN : B0D1WMR1H6

This album celebrates fifty years of The Fabulous Thunderbirds,
although only Kim Wilson remains from that original line-up.
This version of the band is Kim (vocals, harp), Johnny Moeller
(guitar), Bob Welsh (keyboards, guitar), Rudy Albin (drums)
and Steve Kirsty (bass, sax), with Kim producing along with
Steve Strongman and Glen Parrish. The first track ‘Struck Down
by the Blues’ is a delicious slow(ish) blues with riffing sax and
organ and Mr. Strongman adding some stinging blues lead