Garry Burnside – It’s My Time Now
Strolling Bones Records -2025
11 tracks; 49 minutes
Garry Burnside is the youngest son of Hill Country Blues legend R.L. Burnside and is already quite a veteran, having played bass with another local legend, Junior Kimbrough until the latter’s death in 1998. Since then he has played with his older brother Duwayne, his nephew Cedric Burnside (with whom he received a Grammy nomination) and The North Mississippi All Stars. Now he steps out as leader of his own band: Garry on guitar and vocals, Andrea Stanton on rhythm guitar, Avery Dilworth on drums and Pinky Pullman on bass; John C Stubblefield replaces Pinky on one track. Garry wrote nine of the songs, one is a reprise of a song he wrote with Junior and there is, inevitably, one of his father’s songs too. The album was produced by Boo Mitchell at Royal Studios in Memphis.
Garry describes his music as “Hill Country with a lil’ bit of funk” and it’s not a bad description. The music is heavy on the guitars and chugs away steadily, the rhythms being the most important element of the music, to these ears. Straight from the start the two guitars are meshed around the rhythm of an instrumental “High” before “Young Country Boy”, which builds in intensity over Garry’s central riff until he enters with the vocals on what may well be an autobiographical song. Garry hits the wah-wah pedal for the first time here on quite a heavy solo. The pace drops a little but there is some heavy drumming as Garry celebrates the fact that “It’s My Time Now”, doubling his vocals with his guitar to provide an echoey vocal style, a technique that he uses on most of the material here. “Hanging In There” has a lengthy intro with just the guitar before the band comes in with John C Stubblefield on bass and more of Garry’s signature vocal/guitar harmonies.
Next up is the R.L. tune, “Bad Luck City”, and a change of pace, Garry and Andrea showing a quieter, more subtle side to their playing on an extended instrumental version. “Ramblin’” is the tune co-written with Junior and it rattles along in typical Hill Country style. “Holdin’ My Woman” is a funky tune, “I Been Looking” has a slower pace and clearer vocals as Garry eschews that dual vocal/guitar style for once and adds a solid solo mid-tune, while “She’s Gone” is the shortest cut on the album, just three minutes, another dual vocal/guitar song which taps into older blues tunes. The odd title “AGF Out” really barrels along with lots of thick wah-wah over the fierce rhythm parts laid down by Andrea, making for an exciting ride. Classed as a ‘bonus track’, “Garry’s Night Out” runs to over seven minutes and provides a good vehicle for both guitarists to shine as they play off each other well on another solid slice of Hill Country Blues.
Those who enjoy the rhythms of Hill Country Blues will appreciate this debut effort from Garry who shows that he has learned well from those who went before him in this style of music.
