FRANK GOLDWASSER "BLUJU" Source: Blues Revue Date: 02/2007 Writer: Tom Clarke

Frank Goldwasser is in the prime of his career. Born in Paris, the 46-year-old guitarist gained recognition behind Sonny Rhodes and, later, Jimmy McCracklin. A longtime fixture on California blues circuits from Oakland to L.A., he¹s racked up an impressive amount of session work, cut records under the name ³Paris Slim,² and recorded and toured as a member of the Mannish Boys. Blues aficionado Randy Chortkoff recorded Goldwasser and a cast of backing players in autumn 2000, but the tracks went unreleased in the U.S. until now.

Bluju marks Goldwasser¹s emergence as a world-class talent who writes,arranges, and sings with the same inventiveness that marks his guitar playing. ³Feels Like Home,² a rueful discharge by any measure, is an intoxicating opener. It sets fire to the set with Bay Area hallmarks like pumping brass and the hard feel of funk. Likewise, the off-kilter timing behind Elmore James’ down-home, fiercely funky “Twelve Year Old Boy” immediately pricks the ears. Goldwasser¹s mad-as-hell guitar solo on “Well, Well, Josephine” sounds as if the specter of Robert Nighthawk is guiding his hand. The finger-snapping blues-rock of ³I¹m a Love You² offers a lighter moment, as does the rolling instrumental “Playing in the Park,” which Goldwasser and guest Phillip Walker turn into a brotherly rumble. Ultimately, Bluju¹s bold, masterful melding of rhythms and styles commands attention.