Cedric Burnside

The Hill Country of Mississippi is synonymous with the deep trance blues of the late R.L. Burnside, a grinding, stoned-out-of-the-skull groove pounded out in the legend's late years by the drumming of his grandson, Cedric Burnside. At the age of 30, Cedric has become one of the heaviest hitters of the blues, a drummer with the jazz feel of Elvin Jones and the rock power of John Bonham. Burnside teamed with guitarist Lightnin' Malcolm for 2008's Two Man Wrecking Crew, an album that finds the pair kicking out the dirty, minimalist jams with clamorous drum solos, juke-joint growl and response — themes summed up by the title "Tryin' Not to Pull My Gun," and a steely focus on the beat. In other words, Crew puts latter-day minimalist blues rockers like the Black Keys and the White Stripes in their place.