Mr. Wizard (R. L. Burnside album)

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Mr. Wizard
Mr. Wizard (R. L. Burnside album).jpg
Studio album by
R. L. Burnside
Released1997
Genre Blues
Label Fat Possum
R. L. Burnside chronology
A Ass Pocket of Whiskey
(1996)		Mr. Wizard
(1997)		Acoustic Stories
(1997)

Mr. Wizard is an album by the American musician R. L. Burnside, released in 1997. [1] The cover art is by Derek Hess. [2]

Contents

The album peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart. [3] Burnside supported the album with a North American tour. [4]

Production

The album was recorded in part by Matthew Johnson, at Lunati Farms, in Mississippi, and by Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock, at Bongload Custom Records, in Los Angeles. [5] The Los Angeles tracks were recorded live and without overdubbing. [6] The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion backed Burnside on two tracks. [7] Burnside's grandson Cedric played drums on the album; Kenny Brown played guitar. [8] [9] "You Gotta Move" is a cover of the blues standard. [10] "Rollin' & Tumblin'" was written by Muddy Waters. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution B [13]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [14]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [16]

The Irish Times noted that Burnside "is at his most persuasive armed solely with his guitar, as on the memorable opening 'Over the Hill' and the closing 'You Gotta Move', where his voice is a vivid portrait of desperation." [17] Robert Christgau praised "Alice Mae". [14] The Observer wrote that the album "captures his abrasive, electric style nicely." [10] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution stated that "Mr. Wizard continues an effort to infiltrate the alternative market with something far spookier than Marilyn Manson... Funny, then, that the most powerful track here is a solo spiritual number." [13] The Sydney Morning Herald determined that the songs "generally involve R. L. yelling something about snakes, women or sex over a cacophonous blizzard of primordial guitar, which ends when someone falls over or the drums stop." [18] The Santa Fe New Mexican opined that "it's not quite as crazy as Ass Pocket, it's still probably the wildest blues album of the year." [11]

AllMusic praised Burnside's "stomping guitar, powerful voice and cheerfully vulgar lyrics." [12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Over the Hill" 
2."Alice Mae" 
3."Georgia Women" 
4."Snake Drive" 
5."Rollin' & Tumblin'" 
6."Out of the Road" 
7."Highway 7" 
8."Tribute to Fred" 
9."You Gotta Move" 

References

  1. ↑ Galef, David (October 19, 1997). "The South Has Risen Again. Everywhere". The New York Times. p. 2.1.
  2. ↑ Rubin, Mike (May 1997). "Call of the Wild". Spin. Vol. 13, no. 2. p. 78.
  3. ↑ "R. L. Burnside". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ↑ Marlowe, Ann (May 27, 1997). "Out of Mississippi". 42. The Village Voice. No. 21. pp. 67, 70.
  5. ↑ Morris, Chris (December 7, 1996). "Epitaph to distribute Fat Possum". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 49. p. 6.
  6. ↑ Morris, Chris (December 14, 1996). "Flag Waving". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 50. pp. 58–60.
  7. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (March 28, 1997). "For Burnside, the Blues Get Better with Age". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 6.
  8. ↑ Dellinger, Matt (February 4, 2002). "Blues on the Rocks". Discography. The New Yorker.
  9. ↑ Reger, Rick (February 24, 1998). "A Mississippi Magician". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 2.
  10. 1 2 Spencer, Neil (March 23, 1997). "R. L. Burnside Mr Wizard". Review Page. The Observer. p. 11.
  11. 1 2 Terrell, Steve (August 1, 1997). "Burnside teaches a new generation about blues". Pasatiempo. The Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 34.
  12. 1 2 "Mr. Wizard Review by Thom Owens". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  13. 1 2 Dollar, Steve (April 3, 1997). "Blues". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. D4.
  14. 1 2 "R. L. Burnside". Robert Christgau. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  15. ↑ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 61.
  16. ↑ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. p. 94.
  17. ↑ Breen, Joe (March 7, 1997). "Roots". Sound & Vision. The Irish Times. p. 10.
  18. ↑ Guilliatt, Richard (May 16, 1997). "Sounds Right". Metro. The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 7.
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