Paul Oscher – Alone With The Blues

NEW DEEP BLUES ALBUM FROM AN AMERICAN BLUES LEGEND AND FORMER MUDDY WATERS BAND MEMBER

Alone with the Blues showcases Paul Oscher as a blues singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Harmonica, Guitar, Piano, Accordion and Melodica) in both solo and ensemble settings. The band tracks include accompaniment by Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones and Dave Maxwell among others.

Alone with the Blues covers a wide range of traditional Blues styles and includes seven original compositions, eight original interpretations of Blues classics and two traditional gospel songs. All in all - seventeen tracks and over sixty eight minutes of deep blues.

Alone with the Blues takes the listener through the gritty territory of Oscher's musical history from lonely country blues to personal themes of loss and redemption, to the inviting sin of juke joint nights and to back porch storytelling.

Track Listing:
1. Walkin' - 2:18   2. That's Alright - 4:31   3. My Sweet Suzanne - 3:59   4. Standing at the Crossroads - 4:37   5. Alone With the Blues - 5:23   6. Glory, Glory - 2:44   7. Blues and Trouble - 4:56   8. Work That Stuff - 4:09   9. Juke Joint - 4:31   10. You're Still My Baby - 3:01   11. Anna Lee - 3:13   12. Louis Collins - 2:56   13. Early One Morning - 4:22   14. Old Ship of Zion - 3:36   15. Blues Before Sunrise - 4:46   16. Christmas Blues - 4:22   17. Giving Thanks - 4:37

Reviews:

1. AllMusic - Chris Nickson 
Paul Oscher is an alumnus of the Muddy Waters band, where he played harmonica in the late '60s, and developed his talent on guitar from watching Muddy himself, and his piano style from the late Otis Spann. This fourth solo outing is a mishmash of sessions -- one of which, his take on "That's Alright," was recorded on cassette in a Brooklyn boarding house. But it hangs together surprisingly well, since Oscher is very much an old-school bluesman. He can delve into the past for obscurities, such as his cover of Big Joe Turner's "Juke Joint," and juggle a variety of different harmonicas on the title cut for a wonderful effect that demonstrates -- in an understated way -- his virtuosity. But he can also create a great atmosphere on accordion, and proves it on "Louis Collins," while "Blues Before Sunrise" shows that he learned very well how to play piano, its dark colors showing in the aching vocal and stark fingerwork. Nor does he ignore the guitar, giving "Anna Lee" a raw slide workout that's packed with passion. Whatever he does, it seems, Oscher is a master, and this is blues well worth hearing.