Garry Burnside is the youngest son of Hill Country blues legend, R.L. Burnside. He grew up playing with his father and older brothers, and spent his early days playing guitar or bass with another legend, Junior Kimbrough. Burnside appeared on all of Kimbrough's acclaimed Fat Possum releases, as well as playing and recording with the North Mississippi Allstars and their side project, the Hill Country Revue. He's also played and recorded with nephew Cedric Burnside, Jesse Mae Hemphill, Bobby Rush, and many others.

Burnside now takes center stage with an impressive debut release as a front man. It's My Time Now (Strolling Bones Records) was recorded in Memphis at Royal Studio, produced by Boo Mitchell, and features Burnside on 11 tracks, nine originals with one track apiece from the elder Burnside and Kimbrough. The band includes Andrea Stanton (rhythm guitar), Pinky Pulliam or John C. Stubblefield (bass), and Avery Dilworth (drums).

The opening track, “High,” is the first of three tasty instrumentals, this rocking track showcasing Burnside's guitar skills and serving as a perfect introduction to what follows. “Young Country Boy” deftly mixes a Hill Country groove with funk, and serves as a mission statement of sorts for Burnside.

The title track features that droning Hill Country groove with fiery fretwork, and serves notice that the young guitarist is now moving to the front of the stage to show us what he can do. The funky workout, “Hangin' In There,” which Burnside originally penned for the Hill Country Revue, will work its way down into your bones.

Burnside's cover of his father's “Bad Luck City” is instrumental, as the son didn't feel that he could do justice to the vocals. In retrospect, it was a great move, as he perfectly captures the tone and mood of the original version, with his sensitive guitar work doing the singing for him.

Garry Burnside actually co-wrote Junior Kimbrough's “Ramblin',” which follows, and this version really cooks, showing the young man learned from his mentors, but also takes it to the next level.

“Holdin' My Woman” is another Hill Country groover about betrayal by a friend, and “I Been Looking” has a real traditional feel that even newer listeners can relate to. “She's Gone” is a terrific rocking blues tune with a bit of funk mixed in, and the third instrumental, “AGF Out,” is a real scorcher that gives the entire band room to stretch out.

Closing the disc is a “bonus” track, “Garry's Night Out,” a lively, extended tune describing a typical night out with Burnside.

Hill Country blues fans will find a lot to love with It's My Time Now, the fine debut solo effort from Garry Burnside. He pays tribute to those who mentored him while continuing to look forward to expand the music's influence and its audience.

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Kent Burnside is the grandson of R.L. Burnside, who encouraged Kent to develop his own style of playing and performing that went beyond the Hill Country blues style the elder Burnside was associated with. The younger Burnside did just that, crafting a style that encompassed Delta and Chicago blues, along with blues-rock and funk, with his Hill Country roots. He served as guitarist in Jimbo Mathus' band and has developed a long relationship with Buddy Guy, playing numerous times at Guy's Legends nightclub. He's been leading his own band for nearly 20 years.

Burnside's latest release, Hill Country Blood (Strolling Bones Records), includes ten songs, eight originals and two covers. Backing him on these tracks are his uncle Garry Burnside (bass), Jake Best (drums), and Damian Pearson (a.k.a. Yella P of Memphisissippi), who plays harmonica on four tracks. The album was recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis and produced by Boo Mitchell, who also recently produced Garry Burnside's debut release.

The opening track, “Daddy Told Me,” is a solo track, just Burnside and his guitar. He tells the poignant story of his father's rejection of his early musical intentions, warning the youngster that he would disown him if he didn't finish school, which Burnside managed to do and also pursue a musical career. The gritty title track finds Burnside acknowledging his musical roots, and how that music continues to be a huge part of his life and his music.

On a briskly-paced read of John Lee Hooker's “Crawling King Snake,” Burnside modifies the lyrics, adding a droning rhythm with muscular fretwork and Pearson's harp work accentuating the tune as well. “I Heard” is a groove-laden track deep in the Hill Country tradition punctuated by Burnside's guitar, which touches on blues and rock equally.

The fiery “I Go Crazy” brings back Pearson's harmonica a bit deeper in the mix, giving it an eerie feel, as Burnside tells a haunting tale of passion and jealousy. “One More Chance” is a moving ballad about the risk of losing it all in a relationship. Burnside's earnest vocal carries the day on this tune, again paired effectively with Pearson's harp.

“Rob and Steal” returns to the hypnotic Hill Country groove, with driving rhythm work from Garry Burnside and Best on bass and drum, respectively. “I Can Feel It” is a supreme soul ballad about love at first sight, with fine vocals and guitar work.

On Burnside's cover of Junior Kimbrough's “You Better Run,” the guitarist maintains the mesmerizing rhythmic drive of the original, but revises the tale from its original sexual overtone to one of protection from potential sexual violence. This change gives the song a different edge.

The closing track, “I Miss You,” is a moving acoustic track, with Kent and Garry Burnside on guitars and Pearson on harmonica. This one pays tribute not only to Burnside's grandfather, R.L., but also his late mother and other members of the family.

Hill Country Blood is another fantastic entry into the modern Mississippi blues catalog that shows the music is alive and still thriving with the prospect of some great music ahead for blues fans.

With this release from Kent Burnside, his uncle Garry's new album, plus Anthony “Big A” Sherrod's latest effort all hitting the racks these next few months, it's clear that the younger generation of Mississippi blues men will be keeping the fires burning for a long time.

--- Graham Clarke