Customer Reviews

Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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)

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.

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."

I bought this CD purely on a whim after listening to a little of it in the record store. Needless to say it is a completely fresh and bizarre approach to the blues with hiphop scratches and funky beats. The most successful of these experiments is "Miss Maybelle" which really cooks. This is a fun album that gets alot of mileage and playtime in my player. Check it out!

An absolute cracker.

RL Burnside has taken another step towards capturing the X Generation's emerging interest in the blues. I could never believe that I would be inspired by a 70+ trad. blues player who has produced the craziest mix of: techno, blues, rap, grunge and rock, with the eerie southern delta howls.

To top it off, RL doesn't play guitar on this collection, but the passion and depth in his vocals is as good as his dirty guitar sounds. Hard Time Killing Floor sets the eerie tone, Miss Maybelle gets the feet stomping, Wish I was in Heaven Sitting Down is the best of Gospel, and Too Many Ups is a scream.

For the baby boomers locked in the 60s and 70s bules rock scene, for the pre boomers who listen to nothing but roots, and for the new generation who are trying to connect grunge and techno to the past, this is the one.

If RL does nothing else, it doesn't matter.

This is an album as blue, as dark, as beaten down as they get - few blues recordings are darker. Masterful use of voice, backup musicians and electronics work together perfectly to build the dark blues ... with an occasional number like "My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble" to move into lighter Delta blues. Cuts such as "Hard Time Killing Floor" - speaking of multiple murders within a short time frame - set the context and tone for Burnside's personal connection to the blues.

Despite the judicial use of electronic instruments, this is traditional blues at its best.

Burnside is the only artist I've found with a disk that dishes out a heavy dose of blues feel but makes it funky with electronica and scratching. This disk has its funky mellow side, and its grooving up-beat side.... the coolest thing is imagining this 70 year old dude leading the field of experimenting with other styles! If you like blues and trance, this is a must for your collection.

I do not have much experience writing music reviews, but I know that this blues album is amazing. I have several other R.L. Burnside albums, but this one has to be my favorite so far. The cover of Chain of Fools is awesome and the mix of guitar work among the other tracks is wonderful. If a CD wore out, I'd be in trouble. Highly recommended.

R.L. and his band (Kenny Brown & Cedric Burnside) play and entertain his audiences with some of the most energetic blues shows that one could ever hope to see. Each performance is a different experience that revolves around songs (Goin'Down South, Rollin'&Tumblin'and others) that have become R.L.s'signature tunes. These are great moments in American Music and are forever etched in the memories of all that have experienced the "Burnside Style Experience". "I Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down" is a testament of redemption for a life well lived. This album is a artistic departure that allows Burnside to reflect on his own blues. R.L. does not play guitar, Cedric does not drum on the album and Kenny plays only on the title track. R.L.s' vocals are accompanied by the laid back playing of blues and techno hip-hop musicians/engineers. The music has a very melancholic feel that enhances the vocals and pushes the content of the lyrics into stripped down poetry that touches the soul. The more one listens to this music, the deeper the meaning becomes. This is a concept album that opens new channels to the depth of the blues experience. Everything has been carefully crafted to allow R.L. to express himself through his vocals. All the music on the album is tastefully restrained and dictates the mood and tempo for the songs. This album is the accumulation of the blues experience for the 20th century and a bridge to the blues direction for the 21st century. R.L. has the vision to and presence to continually redefine himself and the genre of music, be it blues or otherwise.

Well, it's not all slow. . . But some of the best material on this album include the moody longer songs, such as R.L.'s completely updated version of his own Bad Luck City, Got Messed Up, and the opening track.

This album is not nearly as frantic or cut-up as his last album, Come On In, and this time the focus seems to be right on Burnside's voice. Something must be in the water in Mississippi to give people like Burnside, Junior Kimbrough and Robert Belfour such style. It's pretty amazing that a 73 year old blues guy keeps breaking new ground with every consecutive album, but man, he does it. WELL WELL WELL!