Jim Oblon - Black Cat (2017)

"Black Cat" is a studio album by American guitarist, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Jim Oblon, released in 2017 on the independent label Blue Liberty Records.

Jim Oblon is a unique figure on the contemporary American scene. An incredibly gifted jazz and blues drummer (he toured and recorded for a long time with the legendary Paul Simon), Oblon takes up the electric guitar in his solo projects and transforms himself into one of the most distinctive and uncompromising blues-rock artists of the new generation.

The album features both original compositions and radically reimagined classic blues standards. Oblon takes the age-old formulas of masters like Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Jimmy Reed and turns them inside out, infusing them with wild garage drive, funky skeletons, and rockabilly brashness. The title track, "Black Cat," sets the tone for the entire record with its lazy yet menacing, viscous rhythm.

"Black Cat" is a powerful, honest, and hypnotically rocking release. Jim Oblon has managed to create an album that respects the traditions of old-school Delta and Chicago blues, yet sounds fresh, electric, and thoroughly modern. A great find for those tired of refined pop blues and seeking a true, wild, roots groove.