Benton County Relic
Single Lock Records

By Randy Murphy

The word “relic” holds many meanings — it’s a thing that stays behind once the original is lost, or what remains of the possessions of saint. It’s also something cherished, worshipped even, for its ability to reach into the past and recreate a different era. In short, relics are both timely and timeless.

In his new, Grammy-nominated album, Benton County Relic, Cedric Burnside’s touches on all of these different meanings to explore and maintain the traditions of Mississippi Hill Country Blues while investigating the possibilities of the genre. Like all effective relics, Burnside’s latest offering first looks back to its foundations and then forward to its promises. It’s heady stuff, dangerous and reassuring in equal measure.

By now, most folks know that Cedric Burnside was born into blues royalty. The grandson of R.L. Burnside, he is steeped in the music of legends — Junior Kimbrough, “Mississippi” Fred McDowell, Robert Belfour, Otha Turner — and all of these influences find their way into this recording. But this album is much more than merely a roll call of riffs; Cedric Burnside is his own man, and he puts a unique spin on his musical inheritance.

All the songs here are worthy of praise; there’s not a clunker in the bunch. Two do stand out for me though. First, the hushed “There Is So Much” that showcases Burnside’s songwriting skills and expressive, soulful voice. It’s a quiet seduction of a tune.

But as tender as “There Is So Much” is, “Death Bell Blues” is a throwback, a true artifact of the rough-hewed, earthy music of his grandfather’s generation with Cedric’s drums hammering out a slow, merciless cadence as death prepares, as Papa and Mama tells him, to one day to come for him — and us.

The appeal of Mississippi Hill Country Blues, for me anyway, lies in ability to hold many textures and musical colors within its historic traditions. And Burnside’s new album, like any relic worth its salt, offers convincing confirmation of that fact.

45:36

We Made It / Get Your Groove On / Please Tell Me Baby / Typical Day / Give It To You / Hard To Stay Cool / Don’t Leave Me Girl / Death Bell Blues / There Is So Much / Call On Me / I’m Hurtin /     Ain’t Gonna Take No Mess

Live At The Ramblin’ Man Fair

Alligator Records

When it comes down to brass tacks, Southern rock has almost always had a base stemmed from the blues. Bands like The Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule and Wet Willie can all take their own place in the genre with their distinct style. So can The Kentucky Headhunters. The first time I saw the Hunters they were playing as part of a huge blues benefit show in Mississippi that included people like Robert Lockwood Jr, Pinetop Perkins, Bobby Rush, James Cotton and multiple others. Definitely a cross-over act that can appeal to rock, country and blues fans alike. Their new live album, Live At The Ramblin’ Man Fair has been released by the premier blues label, Alligator, who themselves are no stranger when it comes to putting out material from southern rockers (see JJ Grey for example).

The album, recorded at a festival in England is packed full of heavy guitar-laden bluesy numbers that includes classic pieces such as “Big Boss Man” and “Have You Ever Loved A Woman” alongside original numbers like “Shufflin’ Back To Memphis” and “Walking With The Wolf,” both from their 2015 release Meet Me In Bluesland, one of two albums the band had collaborated with the late pianist Johnnie Johnson. Live At The Ramblin’ Man Fair also includes three previously unreleased studio tracks at the end recorded with Johnson who displays his brilliance here.

This is a rowdy set of live performances aimed at bringing a crowd to their feet. Powerful and lively The Kentucky Headhunters do just that. It’s blues rock in its best format, live on stage before an appreciative audience.

Total Time: 53:07

Intro / Big Boss Man / Ragtop / Stumblin’ / Shufflin’ Back To Memphis / Have You Ever Loved A Woman? / Wishin’ Well / Walking With The Wolf / My Daddy Was A Milkman / Don’t Let Me Down / Rock Me Baby / Rock ‘N’ Roller / Hi-Heel Sneakers

Reviewed by Greg Johnson

Live From Ground Zero Blues Club At The Crossroads, Clarksdale, Ms
Pass the Pick Productions

Mississippi native Dexter Allen’s new album Live From the Ground Zero Blues Club is a suburb live recording that highlights Allen’s combustable Stratocaster licks and soulful, muscular vocals. Allen, with his band — bassist Jonah “Lefty” Nelson, drummer John Blackmon, and keyboardist Cedrick Smith — offers an assortment of tunes that ranges from straight-ahead, rock-endued blues to soulful ballads to a funky, and unexpected, cover of Paul McCartney’s “Big Barn Bed,” which, due to Allen’s splendid vocals and fab guitar licks, takes a mediocre McCartney tune and makes it remarkable.

Along with its fine production values — this is simply one of the finest live recordings I’ve heard in quite a while — there are many songs to commend on this album. It kicks off with Allen’s autobiographical “Coming Home to Mississippi” that drenches his recollections of and reflections upon his family in a seriously funky groove that lends the album a warm familiarity.

Another highlight is the slow-tempo “Still Called the Blues” where Allen and Cedrick Smith exchange savory riffs that supply a bluesy musical landscape for Allen’s plea for “men and women, boy and girls” to “not give in” to the overwhelming problems life often offers up. It’s a poignant message wrapped in sublime music that never stoops to mere sentimentality — the product of a mature songwriter and talented musicians in complete control of their craft.

Finally, the album leaves us “Ain’t That A Shame,” (the tune’s original even if the title is not) a rollicking musical workout with Allen again showcasing his godlike, blistering guitar pyrotechnics. At times subtle and then explosive, it’s a fitting conclusion to a terrific live album. Highly Recommended.

Total Time — 1:01:05

Coming Home To Mississippi / Put Your Blues On Me / Tired / Night Time Loving / Hooked / Still Called The Blues / Big Barn Bed / Let It Be Me / Ain’t That A Shame

Reviewed by Randy Murphy

Bad Mouthin’
Yep Roc Records

Tony Joe White may forever be embedded in our minds for his smash hit single “Polk Salad Annie,” but his final release just may be one of his finest ever. Bad Mouthin’ is an exploration into his past and a taste of the music that inspired him early off. Known for his swampy rock tunes, White digs deep into the blues and covers a number of his heroes while pairing them with five original tracks of his own.

Two of the original numbers White presents are not new by any means. In fact, they are two of the very first songs of his that he ever recorded, “Bad Mouthin’” and “Sundown Blues.” First cut onto tape back in 1964 in a small Texas studio near the Mexican border, they have been turned into slow acoustic blues gems, like all of the numbers on the disc. And they fit in nicely with songs from Lightnin’ Hopkins (“Awful Dreams”), John Lee Hooker (“Boom Boom”), Jimmy Reed (“Big Boss Man”), Charley Patton (“Down The Dirt Road Blues”) and Joe Williams (“Baby Please Don’t Go”).

This is very deep blues, often boding in darkness where you can feel the pain that looms inside. The cover of Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” has never come across in such a bluesy manner and just tugs on the edge of being a dirge. Bare-boned often just White on guitar and harp, other times with drummer Bryan Owings and bassist Steve Forrest, it certainly shows White as a remarkable bluesman and may be one of his finest moments on record ever. Too bad it came out just shortly before his untimely death.

Total Time: 50:06

Bad Mouthin’ / Baby, Please Don’t Go / Cool Town Woman / Boom Boom / Big Boss Man / Sundown Blues / Rich Woman Blues / Bad Dreams / Awful Dreams / Down The Dirt Road Blues / Stockholm Blues / Heartbreak Hotel