Kim Wilson - 2001 - Smokin' Joint [256]

Best known for fronting Texas legends The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kim Wilson spent much of the '90s balancing his time between his old group and kick-starting his solo career. In parlaying the experience of playing an average of over 200 dates annually, Wilson's first live solo release "Smokin' Joint" finds him serving up club dates recorded in Phoenix and Hermosa Beach, California in 1999 and 2000. With the Hollywood Fats rhythm section of bassist Larry Taylor and drummer Richard Innes anchoring the proceedings on both gigs, Wilson cuts loose on a pair of covers-heavy sets that find him dabbling in a variety of blues styles. Wilson breaths new life into nuggets like a swinging reading of Smiley Lewis' "Ain't Gonna Do It," a smooth walk through B.B. King's "I Stay In The Mood," and a soul shuffle version of Bo Diddley's "I Can Tell." Although some numbers tend to run a bit long in the seven-to-nine-minute range, Wilson's effortless harp playing nullifies any thoughts of clock-watching on Little Walter's chugging "Oh Baby" or Wilson's own infectious jump-blues workout "Got To Let You Go''.

(Full Covers)

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