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The enticing, gospel fuelled ‘Sleep While The River Runs’, urges, not to despair, there
is still hope. ‘Come to Me’, is a pleasingly, optimistic shuffle.

The inviting slow blues of ‘Thin Line’ warns of going too far with people’s emotions.

Two instrumentals are the smooth Jazz inflected ‘Me & Ian’ and ‘Where’s The Fire‘
a fine funker with splendid bouncing harmonica.

The enticing ‘Glory Train’ is a splendid call and response gospeller. While ‘Chalk
Line’, is a tale of a fatal affair.

The guitar fuelled ‘Habit of The Heart’, is a serious, floor duster while ‘Walk With
Me’, is a driving blues with serious slide.

‘Sleep While The River Runs’, (reprise) is a splendid choral rendition from the
Halstead Street National Uptown Choir.

Highly Recommended!

Brian Harman.

Kent Burnside—Hill Country Blood—Strolling
Bones Records SB56 CD

The grandson of Hill Country legend R.L. Burnside,

has been playing with his own band for the best
part of twenty years and prior to that he spent
time as guitarist in Jimbo Mathus’ post-Squirrel
Nut Zippers band for the better part of 2005 and
2006, during that time he has also, been a featured

artist at Buddy Guy’s Club Legends.

The album features two covers; John Lee Hooker’s
‘Crawling King Snake’ and Junior Kimbrough’s
‘You Better Run’.

The musicians are; Kent; guitar and vocals, his uncle, Garry Burnside; bass, Jake
Best; drums and Damian Pearson; harmonica. The album was recorded at the
legendary Memphis Studios.

The opener is ‘Daddy Told Me’, a sensitive, mellow haunting guitar plays while Kent’s
delicate soul infused vocals entice you in. On ‘Hill Country Blood’, the music
embodies the atmosphere of his childhood. As the raw, haunting lyrically stinging
guitar, matches his sublime, enticing vocals. With ‘Crawling King Snake’, the
prowling, echo filled raw guitar and harmonica atmosphere, immerses you, into the

music.

On ‘I Heard’, there is a definite danger filled ambience within the Hendrix fuelled
guitar work. The enticing music inexorably, entwines within you, whilst ‘I Go Crazy’,
is the threat from a spurned lover; a raw burning, harmonica joins the richly deep

dark menacing guitar on the prowl.