Duwayne Burnside is the son of the legendary R.L. Burnside and grew up playing in his dad's band, the Sound Machine Groove, and Junior Kimbrough's band, the Soul Blues Boys. Starting out on drums, he moved to bass, guitar and vocals, recording with his father on Fat Possum and High Water Records while in his teens.

He moved to Memphis and played with Albert King and Little Jimmy King, as well as B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland. He was also a member of the North Mississippi Allstars from 2001 to 2004, even guesting on their latest release.

Red Rooster (Lucky 13 Records) is Burnside's fourth solo release, featurings ten tracks, six originals and four covers. He's joined on these recordings by Cody and Luther Dickinson, plus Jimbo Mathus,. As you might expect, the songs are a heady mix of traditional and modern blues, rock, and soul, with an emphasis, of course, on the Hill Country sound that his old man helped make famous.

The moody “Nightmare,” written by R.L. Burnside, opens the disc with a definite Hill Country hypnotic groove, and Burnside's vocal and guitar work add a touch of Hendrix to the mix. “Circle In The Sky” is an old North Mississippi Allstars tune, but Burnside's version has more of a hard, rock edge with gritty, electric fretwork.

With the original “Somebody Done Stole My Girl,” the groove gets a bit funkier and seeps into your bones, and “Things Ain't Going My Way,” another original, is a tough blues rocker that really cooks.

The slow burner “Talk Sweet To Me” was written by Mathus and finds Burnside shifting to soul blues mode with a powerful vocal. The mid-tempo “Tribute” is Burnside's moving acknowledgment of the influence his dad and Junior Kimbrough had in his life and how their music shaped his own The catchy “Crazy 'Bout You” locks into that Hill Country groove with a mix of rock and funk.

“King” is a conglomeration of blues, psychedelic, and hip-hop (including a rap verse from Burnside's late nephew Cody Burnside) that looks at the blues of the past and the future. “Down and Out” is the soul classic written and recorded by Bobby Womack, with Burnside's version getting down in the mud and funk, and his vocal is intense and heartfelt.

The closing track, “Mississippi Here I Come,” is marvelous, with a lengthy acoustic guitar introduction with a southern rock feel that leads to Burnside anticipating a return to his home and family.

The Burnside family has been most productive this year, with Garry and Kent Burnside releasing fine albums of their own. It's a tough call, but Duwayne Burnside's latest effort may be the best of the three, which is really saying something.

Red Rooster is am earthy, swampy, sweaty foray to the Hill Country sound with a bit of rock and soul added to the mix. I think R.L Burnside and Junior Kimbrough would be pleased to see what their musical students have done with their legacy.

--- Graham Clarke