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guitar, while we follow up with a rocking Cajun banger ‘Don’t Make No Sense’ with Terrance
Simien on accordion and Kim adding some harp. ‘Payback Time’ is an atmospheric driving blues
with Billy Gibbons helping out on vocals and guitar and more electric harp from Kim – wow!
By complete contrast next we have a semi-acoustic run-through of Memphis Minnie's ‘Nothing
In Rambling’ with guests Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ sharing the singing and playing
and Kim playing lovely acoustic harp.

‘Won’t Give Up’ is more driving blues in the Thunderbirds’ tradition and ‘The Hard Way’ is a
slow blues with tripping drums, swelling organ, nice guitar licks from Dean Schott and Kim on
chromatic harp. ‘Whatcha Do To Me’ is a rocking boogie with Elvin Bishop helping out on guitar
and Kim delivering a rip-roaring distorted harp solo. The final three tracks feature the core
band, ‘I’ve Got Eyes’ is funky driven by Steve Kirsty’s bass with Johnny Moeller delivering some
tasty guitar, ‘That’s Cold’ is a powerful rocker with more of Moeller’s riffing guitar and on the
closer the soul ballad ‘Sideline’ Chris Ayries helps Kim out on vocals, with Kirsty adding a breathy
tenor solo.

I really regret not seeing the original band in their heyday in the 70s and 80s, I’ve seen the band
several times since (including the current line-up) and always been slightly disappointed.
However, this is a really great album comparable with their original classics, with some great
playing, very strong songs and as great as Kim is on both vocals and harp the band also play
their part - and let me particularly single out Bob Welsh’s piano and organ playing. I know it’s
early days but is this blues album of the year? – just saying…

Graham Harrison

Rory Block—Positively 4th Street—Stony Plain ASIN :
B0D1WMLZT6

If you read about Bohemian Greenwich Village in the late
50s/early 60s many accounts refer to a leather worker called
Allan Block who lived there and made sandals (an essential
part of the uniform) for the local beatniks. Rory was his
daughter and grew up knowing the local musicians like Dave
Van Ronk, Ian and Sylvia Tyson and Bob Dylan.

She always admired Dylan but her career went in a different
direction and she became an outstanding blues singer and
guitarist. However, during lockdown she decided to do a
weekly online show and quickly used up her own repertoire and had to resort to covering pop
songs and also Dylan songs. The Dylan songs were very well-received and led to requests for
more – hence this album. Rory sings and plays both rhythm and slide guitars as well as drums
and percussion, she also produces along with her husband Rob Davis.

We begin with ‘Everything is Broken’ (as also covered by RL Burnside) which in Rory’s hands
sounds like a Charlie Patton song and ‘Ring Them Bells’ has a haunting, downbeat gospel feel.
If those two were quite bluesy in Bob’s original versions I did wonder if ‘Like a Rolling Stone’
would work with Rory’s restricted instrumentation – it works fine, with the slide guitar taking
the place of Al Kooper’s distinctive organ. I really like ‘Not Dark Yet’ one of Dylan’s rare, beautiful
romantic songs - Rory’s version isn’t so gentle and again has a stark, haunting quality with lovely
slide guitar from Cindy Cashdollar, while both ‘Mr. Tambourine Man’ and ‘Positively 4th. Street’
have a lighter feel, more like the Byrds’ versions with their tripping drums.