Search - Kim Wilson :: Lookin for Trouble

Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson plays a deeper and darker shade of blues when he's performing under his own name, and Lookin' for Trouble, his first solo studio recording in six years, successfully showcases an assortment of traditional styles all invigorated by Wilson's virtuoso harp work. Wilson's continuing evolution as a singer and songwriter (he had a hand in composing nine of the tunes) is impressive, but his harmonica heroics, such as on the echo-heavy, midnight-blues rendition of Jimmy Rogers's "Money Marble & Chalk," remain the primary attraction. With his working band--featuring yet another hot young guitar discovery in Troy Gonyea--behind him, Wilson rolls through 14 songs, mixing a bit of horn-powered jump blues, some Memphis soul, and a tasty slice of New Orleans (via Dave Bartholomew's "Hook Line & Sinker") into his classic Chicago sensibilities. The title tune, co-written with fiancée Amanda Taylor, gets two takes (a straight-ahead shuffle and a harder-edged rock rendition) to bring the total to 15 tracks, most of which have different approaches but all of which are unified by Wilson's Herculean harp work and experienced grasp of bedrock blues styles. --Michael Point