Search - R.L. Burnside :: Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down

Went to crossroads, returned as funk master...

Dave Combs | Ithaca, NY USA | 10/24/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, if you're reading this you know that R.L. Burnside is one bad mutha who can thrash a juke joint like no one else, but did you know he can apparently bump a block party as well? Burnside's latest Fat Possum album amounts to an official bid towards cross-over success. If you heard his last release, Come On In, you can probably guess that the boys at Fat Possum kept the big beats for this one. For better or worse (mostly for the better, fear not), R.l.'s vocals (which are better than ever before) are backed by a murky concoction of smooth beats, funky wah wah guitar, and murky organ swirls. He doesn't play guitar on a single track and Kenny Brown (his white "adopted son") plays only on the classic title track. Nevertheless, I just want everyone to know that underneath all the brooding funk the blues is alive and well. This is the kind of record that Morcheeba wishes they could make but only a cat who's been around for as long as R.L. has could've pulled it off with as much credibility as it has here. I mean the guy's 73 years old! If he chooses to make a record as modern and diverse as this then who's going to stop him? The blues ain't nothin' but dance music, he says. I agree. This record sure ain't the old time religion and the juke joint stomp is a little more slick this time around but that shouldn't matter in the end. This backwards hillbilly, this blues master from the hills of Mississippi, R.L. Burnside has taken a jump so far forward that he often circles back around and passes himself up. He's got mandolins and old acoustic guitars comfortably next to drum loops, samples, and etheral DJ scratches. ...But it's still got the grit of authenticity that clings to the best blues. R.L. sounds confident, his singing is strong, and he's not afraid to boldly expand a musical formula that has laid dormant for one hundred years. The old timers will surely cry foul but this is not mockery. This is a kind of brash, atmospheric blues that makes perfect sense coming when it has."

Burnside Style Saddled With Lame Production

Andrew T. Olson | Milwaukee, WI United States | 01/29/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Like Burnside's previous disc, the experimental indie hit "Come On In," "Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down" represents a hybrid of Mississippi blues, techno, and white hip-hop. On the new record, though, the techno and hip-hop elements are less pronounced. In fact, the record seems at times an attmpt by the record's producers to appease both those who loved "Come On In" and fans of more orthodox blues stylings who hated it. Ironically, the experiments on the previous album were much more representive of Burnside Style than the mush on the new disc. For one thing, R.L.s real band played(and was sampled from)on "Come On In." For reasons known only to them, the folks at Fat Possum chose to replace R.L's regular cohorts with a crew of studio vets. Burnside's terrific lead guitarist Kenny Brown plays on only one track(the standout title track), and Burnside's guitar isn't heard from at all. While Rick Holmstrom and Smokey Hogg contribute a few tasty licks, they fail-depite their best efforts-to replicate the vicious twin guitar slash and drone style that is Brown and R.L.'s trademark. Also M.I.A. is drummer Cedric Burnside(R.L.s grandson), whose original(though largely unheralded)Dr. Dre-meets-Sam Carr beats are a more potent Hip-Hop/Blues fusion than anything Burnside's producers contribute to the mix of the new record. Some of the stuff on the new record-particularly the sampled vocals that pop up out of nowhere on several tracks-even sounds kind of dorky. On a couple tracks, the producers seem to be trying for an Issac Hayes style R&B Funk feel, but instead create something that belongs on the soundtrack of a 70's porn flick. What redeems this record(and earns for it all three stars given above)is Burnside's vocal performance on the record, which is the strongest of his career. Burnside's singing is more controlled, more subtle, and more powerful than ever before. While quite long in the tooth, R.L. Burnside is just now peaking. He deserves a better showcase for his art than "Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down.""

A Really "UP" Blues Album (read the review)

Erika Borsos | Gulf Coast of FL, USA | 12/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stood absolutely still, riveted to attention when I first heard this CD. Next step was to find the sales clerk so I could buy it!! It is an understatement to say R.L. Burnside sings with emotion, this man KNOWS BLUES, he has LIVEDBLUES, and STILL HAS HOPE ... tinged with an Alabama accent, he sings with a southern drawl, full of the realities of life. The liner booklet says it best (& I quote): "The last genuine performer of raw Mississippi hill country sounds as well as cutting edge crossover artist the blues has had in the past 30 years." Honesty, depth, detail, raw emotions, earthy statements: it's all here & more! Great lyrics, great slide guitar playing,too. "Too Many Ups" one of the tracks, is a play on words: "You gotta look UP to the man ... too many ups, too many ups, too many upside down", "You gotta cover up", "You gotta catch up", "You gotta get paid up", "Too many upside downs". Some other favorites are, the title song, "Wish I was in Heaven Sittin' Down", "Hard Times", and "Chain of Fools".



Let the lyrics of "Nothin' Man" tell his story:

"I never had a chance ... it never was MY fault. You can't arrest me. I pay the rent. I never wanted to be a BAAAAD person. I wish my mama had loved me. You can't arrest me. It never was MY fault ... I never wanted to be a BAD person." The ambient music contrasts nicely with the words & lyrics, with a shadow of the underside of life - not far off from the truth. This is genuine, visceral music: FAT POSSUM RECORDS have provided us a vehicle to enjoy the music of this living legend of Mississippi blues. They have a great sense of humor, too. Inside the CD is a card to fill out with demographics, and a block of space, with the instructions: "trace your housekey here" YOU GOTTA LOVE 'EM!

Three "bonus" tracks are included: "Black Mattie" by Robert Balfour (a rather scarry piece of music & lyrics, too), "Pucker Up Buttercup" by Paul Jones, & my favorite of the three, "Laugh to Keep from Cryin'" written & sung by Burnside's adopted son, Kenny Brown, a great talent in his own right who learned & apprenticed with this MASTER OF MISSISSIPPI BLUES, THE LIVING LEGEND! Erika Borsos (erikab93)"