Burnside’s ‘Heaven’ Beefs Up the Blues

Burnside’s career has taken more twists and turns than the kudzu vine that grows in his Mississippi home of Layfayette County. A former sharecropper, the 73-year-old Burnside eked out a living on the fringes of the blues community for close to 25 years. Then he experienced a resurgence when Fat Possum records released “Too Bad Jim,” an album that showcased Burnside’s unvarnished mastery of country blues.

Since then, Burnside has become a sort of token outsider folk artist for indie rock fans. Jon Spencer recorded an album with him, and his song “It’s Bad You Know” was featured on “The Sopranos” soundtrack.

“Wish I Was in Heaven” (due in stores Tuesday) expands on the boogie-meets-B-boy sound of 1998’s “Come On In.” Burnside’s finger-picking and regal bellow intermingle with DJ Swamp’s turntable scratches on “Miss Maybelle” and a version of the Don Covay soul classic “Chain of Fools,” while Burnside rides a funked-up hip-hop beat on “Got Messed Up.”

At times, “Wish” sounds like a reclamation project for Gen-Y listeners; one wonders just how much Burnside contributed to the album’s beefed-up sound. Still, it’s a rare treat to find a blues album that actually flirts with new ideas and makes them work.

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