The Deal: Cedric Burnside, masterful drummer and grandson of late north Mississippi blues giant R.L. Burnside, assumes the mantle of a touring blues musician. One always hopes offspring are as good as or better than the originals: think Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, John Lennon and their sons Ziggy, Femi and Sean, respectively. Are they as good as their ancestors?
The Good: Wrecking Crew has moments of brilliance, though lacks the raw energy, gutbucket punk and downright nastiness of Daddy R.L. Still, there’s plenty of slide guitar evoking back catalog Fat Possum and memories of Cedell Davis, Junior Kimbrough and, of course, R.L. The Black Keys would be at home with this duo.
The Bad: Aside from the opening homage to “R.L. Burnside,” the CD doesn’t get rolling until song number eight – “Fightin'” – which kicks, north Mississippi juke joint style. The thirteenth cut, “Tryin’ Not to Pull My Gun,” nails it as well. Despite the CD’s slow ignition, the tail end catches fire.
The Verdict: This is a duo to watch as Cedric and Malcolm make a fine blues racket. Consider this a heads up for up and coming blues from north Mississippi, especially significant as giants like R.L. and Junior Kimbrough pass on while other Mississippi bluesmen like, T-Model Ford, are still around, but aging. Ragged but right, Malcolm and Cedric herald the new generation of young, raw and ratty new blues. The ghost of Mississippi Fred McDowell lives on. The duo performs at the Double Door Inn on Nov. 13.
This article appears in Nov 11-18, 2008.
