Brody Buster's One Man Band

Brody Buster isn’t a name I have too much experience with but one look at his history suggests that I should.

A child prodigy on the harmonica he has played with Quincy Jones, Chaka Khan, B.B. King and a host of others – B. B. rating him as one of the best harp players of all time despite his young age.

He went away for a while and re-emerged playing with a band but he was happiest being his own band and so we get this – and it is an absolute triumph!

Raw and naked Blues with Buster playing everything and showing off his harsh and raw voice – although surprisingly melodic – across three originals and numbers by Springsteen, The Grateful Dead, Prince and The Beatles all of which seem to take on a new lease of life here.

For example, his version of ‘Get Back’ opening with a conversation between harp and guitar and developing into a boogie that Creedence would be proud of. Or Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ which is deeper and more impassioned than even Sinead O’Connor managed – it becomes a lost love song rather than a prayer.

The Dead’s ‘New Speedway Boogie’ is a number I’m passionate about and he really captures the ‘chug’ of the song.
His own ‘2029’ is a funky Blues and shows he can write as well as play.

This is a brilliant album for anyone into the whole punk/Blues thing – I can only say “Welcome back Buster!”