I Be Trying

Albumbeschreibung

With his muscular arms and battered-but-beautiful features, Cedric Burnside could have been an actor, or a boxer, or played a boxer on screen. But his real interest is the Blues, which he practices with a style that's dry and precise, like a martial artist. Cedric Burnside is the real thing. When he was still a child, this Mississippi boy would sometimes play the drums with his illustrious grandfather, RL Burnside. Cedric embodies the Blues tradition of the hill country of northern Mississippi, which is very much in vogue at the moment (Delta Kream of the Black Keys has paid tribute to him). In the time since he released his previous album, which launched his international career, Benton County Relic, he has proven that he was more than the grandson of a legend. He has moved into playing the guitar in a staccato, percussive style. He has carved out a distinctive identity, which has blossomed fully on I Be Trying. This is minimalist Blues, dense and hard as wood, and stripped down to the essentials. I Be Trying was recorded in three days by a small circle at the Royal Studio in Memphis, which saw the birth of Al Green's best works. Cedric Burnside sang into Al Green's microphone on one track, and that microphone probably shook and shuddered just like in the good old days. The album is less rough and less anxious than Benton County Relic. We hear a little more arrangement, some melodies which almost have a pop flavour, and a sense of jubilation that is almost joyful. This is an album by a man who is carrying a flame, and he knows that more and more of us are searching for warmth and light. © Stéphane Deschamps / Qobuz