The Fabulous Thunderbirds: Girls Go Wild

Good-time Texas bar-room blues still hits the spot.

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The Fabulous Thunderbirds feature the blues militant, harp-playing vocalist Kim Wilson and his fellow blues disciple, guitarist Jimmy Vaughan.

Cut some four years into their Antones residency, Girls Go Wild nails their shared goal of contemporising traditional blues.

This comes with seven live bonus tracks which distil the band’s bristling style, from the familiar theme of Full Time Lover to the harp-led instrumental Pocket Rocket and the hip-shaking Feelin Good. Wilson’s deep blues warble matches his expressive vocals, while Vaughan’s solos shift from the conversational to the intense, as the band shuffles, weaves and swings its way through a hybrid of styles in search of a unique voice, feel and authenticity.

Some 35 years on, Girls Go Wild remains vintage blues for the modern age.

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