R.L. BURNSIDE
Burnside on Burnside (Epitaph/Fat Possum)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner

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For better or worse, R. L. Burnside might be best known for the way he's stretched, tweaked and twisted traditional blues with electronica, particularly his explorations of hip hop and blues on the The Sopranos soundtrack, "It's Bad You Know." While these experiments, including his recent CDs, Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down or A Ass Pocket of Whiskey, have certainly garnered him a new and younger audience, I'm glad that Fat Possum has brought us Burnside on Burnside, a new live set captured earlier this year at the Crystal Ballroom on Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon. "Shake 'Em On Down" is pure unadulterated blues straight from the Mississippi Delta. R.L.'s got a blues career that spans five decades in the juke joint style of Junior Kimbrough or his country blues mentor, Mississippi Fred McDowell. Burnside on Burnside is a blues celebration that rocks from start to finish, powered by some fine slide guitar. In addition to "Shake 'Em On Down," other traditional, uptempo cuts include "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and "Bad Luck and Trouble." If you think that R.L. has strayed too far from traditional blues of late, Burnside on Burnside will definitely change your mind.

Track List:

Shake 'Em On Down * Skinny Woman * Miss Maybelle * Rollin' and Tumblin' * Long Haired Doney * Walkin' Blues * He Ain't Your Daddy * Bad Luck & Trouble * Jumper on the Line * Goin' Down South * Alice Mae * Snake Drive

© 2001 - Eric Steiner