Oklahoma guitarist, singer and songwriter Watermelon Slim is breaking new lyrical ground in modern blues music, and that’s a good thing. Some blues fans are getting tired of the same old themes: a woman or man who drinks too much; trains that don’t run on time, or yet another song from yet another jilted lover.

Slim uses his broad-ranging background to write stories from his vast range of living experiences, which included living and performing on three continents, working as a newspaper reporter [thus the song “Newspaper Reporter”] and performing or recording with the late Henry Vestine of Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker  and Champion Jack Dupree.

Slim, whose real name is Bill Homans, puts his Master’s Degree in History to work on this and his other releases for Toronto-based Northern Blues Music, writing many autobiographical songs from the heart that tell useful or message-filled stories. The Wheel Man includes some sage commentary on “Drinking and Driving” and a funny song about a woman trucker, “Truck Driving Mama.”

Watermelon Slim’s fusion of styles on this album are as varied as the occupational hats he’s worn over the years, which include musician, but also high school teacher, truck driver, print journalist and Vietnam veteran. His original songs sparkle with clarity and meaning, and his interpretations of well known songs like Slim Harpo’s “Got Love If You Want It” are spirited and vibrant