SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Paul Wood wins first place in the 2004/2005 Blues Icon Contest. More info soon...

Guitarist Paul Wood, a native of Oakland, CA who now calls Memphis, TN his home, possesses a very impressive blues pedigree. The only surviving member of John Lee Hooker’s original Coast To Coast Blues Band, Wood has recorded with such diverse artists ranging from Van Morrison to Charlie Musselwhite and, as a solo artist, opened for James Brown and even Fee Waybill’s quirky outfit, The Tubes.

Pirate Radio (Lucy 003), the latest from blues-rocker Paul Wood, an original member of John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast band, sizzles in Memphis grease. That's no surprise, with Little Feat's Richie Hayward in the drum chair; Al Gamble's keyboards and horns by Scott Thompson and Jim Spake add a useful roadhouse factor.

Wood's a believable singer whose guitar sometimes gets heavy ("Black Dog" equals AC/DC) but whose lead work retains a melodic, rather than lick-driven, sensibility. "Sleepin' With The TV On" is slick and funky, and "Good Day 4 Bad Whiskey" is straightforward slow blues that gives Wood a solo showcase.

Well-chosen covers include an excellent pair from Steve Gaines and one each from the Bluebirds, the Sir Douglas Quintet ("You Never Get Too Big"), and Freedie King (a snarling "She Put The Whammy On Me").

Blues Is My Business (Lucy 002), is Wood’s second solo album. Bridgeburner (Lucy 001) was released in 1999 also on the Lucy Records label) and just one listen was enough to convince this reviewer that Wood is a major talent. The album starts off with a rollicking rockin’ blues track, She Don’t Play By The Rules and leads into a Latin-beat blues-infused cut, Blues Guitar.

Wood’s playing throughout Blues Is My Business is impressive, employing perfect timing, well-defined phrasing, and gobs of pure feeling that cannot be learned but has to come from within the soul of a blues player. There is not a single track here that disappoints or fails to impress. What’s refreshing here is that Wood is comfortable enough with his songs and his own talent that he freely engages the use of a pulsating rhythm section, punctuated by a swinging horn section (just check out Cryin’ Won’t Help Ya or the slow-blues burner, Don’t Call Me).

A track that is chock full of hooks is Another Day, an anthem for all of us who have to live from paycheck to paycheck. Wood’s late father even gets some credit here on the track Everything Dies But The Blues, which is from a poem written by Wood’s father, Paul Tulley, a renowned beat poet. From start to finish, Blues Is My Business delivers pulsating rocking blues punctuated by Wood’s extraordinary guitar playing.