WHAT THE CRITICS SAY ABOUT PAUL DELAY

 
Q: Which musician have you ever wanted to be?
A: I guess I would imagine myself as this amazing blues harmonica player, Paul deLay...
- Actor Bill Pullman (Independence Day, Zero Effect), quoted in British music magazine Mojo, August '98
 
"This guy's gotta be heard!" - Billy Gibbons, of ZZ Top
 
"Paul deLay is great!" - B.B. King
 
"I gotta say it, man -- For my money, deLay's the best harp player in the world!"
- Hubert Sumlin, legendary guitarist with the late Howlin' Wolf
 
Best Blues Harmonica Player 1997 - Real Blues Magazine's Fourth Annual Real Blues Awards

Evidence ECD 26091-Nice & Strong

"One of the finest blues songwriters around...easily outclasses most of the the competition when it comes to songcraft and spirit." - Washington Post
 
"You cannot listen to Paul deLay without having serious revelations about life and blues music. He gets you on two levels: his stripped-down raw honesty in his lyrics and his absolutely brilliantly crafted and performed original music. He's so much better than every other blues singer/ songwriter/harmonica-player that it's really unfair to compare." -Real Blues Magazine
 
"That Paul deLay is one of the best straight and chromatic harmonica blowers currently in business, as well as one of the purest-toned vocalists, is obvious from the git. He is also a major songwriter. The combination is exhilarating." -Big City Blues
 
"DeLay continues to establish himself as one of the freshest and most appealing voices in the field." -Philadelphia Inquirer
 
"Bluesman Paul deLay is a serious triple threat. An insightful lyricist with a penchant for earthy, everyday storytelling, he is also a supremely soulful singer with a sanctified streak... And if that weren't enough, the guy also plays harmonica like no one else on the planet." -JazzTimes
 

Evidence ECD 26079-Ocean Of Tears

"Perhaps the most original take on the blues in years, soaring effortlessly above the 12-bar overcast to set its sights on the stars." -Portland Oregonian
 
"Anyone interested in hearing new directions blues can take would do well to swim in Paul deLay's Ocean Of Tears. This long-awaited release showcases the Northwest harmonica heavyweight's formidable instrumental, vocal and lyrical skills, as well as his band's formidable arranging skills. Stellar playing, singing and song writing...Intelligent, technically dazzling and heartfelt." -Blues Revue Magazine
 
"Paul deLay is that rare Anglo-American vocalist who has found an original voice. In part it is the rough, soul-baring voice of a recovering addict and alcoholic who has proven through his recent original work that creativity does not come from a bottle, powder or smoke. It is also the voice of a man who has found astonishing inspiration, rejuvenation and motivation in the hard-won love of a good woman... Thoroughly original and intelligent...a joyful realization."
-Living Blues Magazine
 
"One of the rising giants of the blues...The combination of deLay's writing, singing and harp-playing blend into a package that is monumental in the art of musicianship...This is one act you do not want to miss." -Southland Blues Magazine
 
 

Evidence ECD 26076-Take It From The Turnaround...

"Long known in the Northwest as one of the finest harmonica players going, deLay appears to be poised to explode on the national scene. He should, too, because he is a terrific singer and songwriter as well. Take It From The Turnaround is ample evidence of his talents."
-Detroit News & Free Press
 
"While showcasing his amazing range, which runs from graceful Toots Thielemans-like highs to gutbucket James Cotton lows, what really differentiates deLay is his mastery of grooves, riffs and jazz influences...this disc reveals the diversity of a great undiscovered blues talent."
-Boston Globe
 
"If Little Walter had lived another 20 years, we might have heard similar soundsThese tracks are fascinating, everyone a gemYou could take the other top five harp-playing bluesmen active today and, even combined, their talents couldn't match deLay's. Six stars, highest rating, for the ultimate blues CD in terms of virtuosity." - Real Blues Magazine
 
"Perhaps the most inventive and innovative harmonica player since Little Walter."
- Billtown Blue Notes (Baltimore MD)
 



[ Band History | Gigs | Calatogue | Order Form ]