CD Review
Paul Oscher
Alone With The Blues
(Electro-Fi Records – 3384)
by Dave "Doc" Piltz
Review date: November 2004
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Originally born in Brooklyn, New York, Paul Oscher first made a name for himself as a member of Muddy Water’s band in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s., learning piano while living with Otis Spann and guitar under the tutelage of Sam Lawhorn while serving as one of a long line of notable harp players including James Cotton, Mojo Buford and Little Walter, to name a few.
Although Oscher’s latest release on Electro-Fi Records is entitled Alone With The Blues, Oscher is not totally alone on the record, performing with backing musicians on five of the seventeen songs. However, the ultimate beauty of the recording is the purity of Oscher’s work as a solo performer on the other twelve numbers. Despite the fact that Alone With The Blues is a mixture of studio, home and live recordings, all of the tracks well-capture the pure live sound that one might experience at a Paul Oscher club date. Oscher is a virtual one-man band who has an uncanny ability to go “deep down,” not only in his interpretation of the blues, but in his mixing in elements of gospel, jazz and Cajun music.
Seven of the seventeen songs on the CD are Oscher originals, well-combined with some great interpretations of songs by Jimmy Rogers, Mississippi John Hurt, Leroy Carr, Big Joe Turner, Chick Willis, as well as a number of traditional tunes like “Glory, Glory,” “Old Ship Of Zion” and “Early One Morning.” One of the best non-solo songs on the CD is Oscher’s excellent interpretation of Robert Nighthawks’, “Anna Lee.” Backed by David Maxwell (piano), Willie “Big Eyes” Smith (drums) and Calvin ”Fuzz” Jones (bass), Oscher’s impromptu rendition of this classic blues number is very entertaining.
Other songs of note on Alone With The Blues include Oscher’s haunting rendition of Mississippi John Hurt’s “Louis Collins,” complete with Oscher singing and playing the accordion; the “boarding house recording” of Jimmy Rogers’ classic, “That’s Alright” accompanied by Little T Attorino on guitar; and the very “churchy” rendition of the traditional “Glory, Glory.” Among the original numbers, “Standing At The Crossroads” and “Blues and Trouble” both have a heavy, deep blues feel that one would expect from a typical Muddy Water’s number. The title track “Alone With The Blues” is a truly unique original, with Oscher performing the instrumental on a number of different harps and a melodeon. “Work That Stuff” is another original with a unique walking blues feeling, offering a nice change of pace from most of the other tunes on the CD.
Fans of Paul Oscher will love Alone With The Blues since it captures the blues at its most basic and powerful level. To learn more about Paul Oscher and/or to pick up Alone With The Blues or any of Paul Oscher’s other recordings, visit Oscher’s website at www.pauloscher.com.
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