R.L. Burnside – Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down

Seeing a reissue at the record store, I picked a copy to reminisce the time when I started to dive into blues music during the late 2000s. This album then featured heavily in my blues rotation.
I must say some things are better left to half-forgotten memories. With my current ears, this is disappointing.
RL Burnside *is* a great bluesman, one with strong country blues DNA despite Chicago affiliations, but the production of the album with its insufferably dated electronic ornaments (DJ scratches and hip-hop beats ?) and soft back-up instrumentation makes him sound like campy "tourist blues", the kind of rubbish you'd hear a middle-age white guy sing in a New-York café roleplaying as a juke t.

A few of the tracks on the record are stripped down and much closer to the rough, hypnotic qualities we'd expect from him. Notably, Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down and See What My Buddy Done.

Overall it's mediocre compared to the much better material from his old recordings or the Jon Spencer albums (which contrary to this manage to make a very modern blues album while maximizing RL's qualities as a musician).

If ever there was list of artists who deserved to be recognized and appreciated, R.L. Burnside would certainly be near the top of that list. I was in Paris when his song “It’s Bad You Know” went over the top, and brought long overdue recognition to this great man. But in all honesty, R.L. can be a difficult artist not only to pin down, but he seldom, for my tastes, commits a consistent body of work to any release.

Here on ‘I Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down,’ he opens with three blistering numbers, all original, all unique ... and all fresh as can be. But then comes “Nothing Man,” which is an outright theft of Slim Harpo’s “I’m A King Bee.” “Too Many Ups” is nice and funky, quite original, and is wonderful in the way he’s made the song sound as if it was taken from a well worn vinyl record; though the hip hop scratch leaves me cold. “Bad Luck City” is what it is, sort of forgettable, and “R.L.’s Story” has been done so many times, in so many ways in the past, that it is just a pointless exercise. Now, for "Chain Of Fools" I will make an exception, as he blends traditional and modern blues with a street flavor, and I make that exception because this song feels real, as if he's giving it his honest take ... and anytime an artist does that, it usually works for me.

So where does that leave us, it leaves us with six outstanding numbers that are a true testament to the nature and spirit of the blues. The songs are simple and well played, with the most exciting number being “My Eyes [Keep Me In Trouble],” and you’re going to have to give it a listen to hear what I mean, and feel the smile it brings to my face. Yeah, R.L.’s albums need to be combed to sort out the choice material, but the process is well worth your while.

*** The Fun Facts: The R.L. in R.L. Burnside stands for Robert Lee Burnside.

Review by Jenell Kesler