When R.L. Burnside and the rest of the Fat Possum confederation emerged from the northern Mississippi hills in the early '90s, they gave contemporary blues a much-needed shot in the ass, reminding everyone that the genre really wasn't so much about pyrotechnic guitar histrionics as it was about getting folks to hit the dancefloor, and once there, making sure they stayed. Burnside in particular has been a fascinating and intriguing musician ever since, and even as he cruises through his eighties, he may well be the most progressive and postmodern of anyone on the current blues scene. Although his basic template is and remains a John Lee Hooker-like modal boogie shuffle, Burnside has combined it with full-tilt garage and punk band dynamics (1996's A Ass Pocket of Whiskey, with the raucous backing of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) and controversial (to blues purists) techno nation hip-hop effects (1998's Come On In, featuring Beck mixmaster Tom Rothrock), and while these experiments haven't always worked, they show a playful willingness to treat the blues as something fun and vital, not some dusty, nostalgic period music trotted out on display from the music museum. No, Burnside's version of the blues is powerful, visceral, and -- this is often overlooked -- playful, with his almost demonic chuckle being as recognizable a feature of his music as any guitar lick.

1		Detroit Boogie (Part 1)
2		See What My Buddy Done
3		Shake 'Em On Down
4		Goin' Down South
5		My Name Is Robert Too
6		Someday Baby
7		Go To Jail
8		Bird Without A Feather
9		Glory Be
10		Goin' Away Baby
11		Rollin' and Tumblin'
12		Stole My Check
13		Detroit Boogie (Part 2)