R.L. BURNSIDE
A Bothered Mind
Fat Possum Records
THE BLACK KEYS
Rubber Factory
Fat Possum Records
· Old-school blues gets an update.
Ever since Jon Spencer teamed up with R.L. Burnside on the album A Ass Pocket of Whiskey, white-boy hipsters like me have been digging into the blues. Although Burnside played guitar for years in bluesman Junior Kimborogh’s juke joint down south, it wasn’t till he teamed up with Fat Possum records that he got any notoriety. The last decade of his career has been a hodge-podge consisting of searing electric riffs, cross-genre hybrid remixes, a superb live album and a generally bad attitude. With A Bothered Mind he brings all of that together with the help of some guest vocalists for an album that as disjointed as it is, offers a good cross-section of Burnside’s talent. With help from his son Cedric behind the kit and a host of other friends, Burnside offers a groovy reinterpretation of the delta blues. Lyrics Born of Blackalicious fame turns in two tracks, but it’s Burnside’s ability to make the soulless white-boy whine of Kid Rock palatable that proves his strength as a musician. Lest you think the album degenerates into a fame-induced cash grab, listen up. When you hear Burnside wail, "Some motherfucker stole my check," you know he’s still got the blues and he means it.
Despite the tender age of the band’s members, The Black Keys manage to deliver a surprisingly authentic blues sound (the combined age of Patrick Carney and Dan Auerbach is probably less than that of Burnside). Although Rubber Factory doesn’t have the balls-out power of their last release Thickfreakness, the judicious use of middle frequency, guitar overdubs and (believe it or not) backward guitar solos give the album a hooky persistence. With its loose approach and gritty swamp shuffle, Rubber Factory is the album that The White Stripes should have made (if they weren’t too big for their britches and Meg could actually drum).
In both cases, Fat Possum Records has done what they do best – making the blues relevant. By plugging in the delta blues and infusing it with an electrified Motor City approach, The Black Keys and Burnside breathe some much-needed edge into the genre by delivering a thoroughly modern take on the blues.
BURNSIDE 3/5
BLACK KEYS 4/5
JASON LEWIS
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