R. L. Burnside “A Ass Pocket of Whiskey” – I had intended to write about this LP last week when it turned 30 years old (released February 6th 1996) and for Jon Spencer’s birthday (February 5 1965) but stuff came up. A Ass Pocket of Whiskey, released on Matador Records, is the great bluesman R.L. Burnside’s 7th studio LP on which he’s backed by Jon Spencer (guitar, lots of “YEAH!” backing vocals), Judah Bauer (on slightly more restrained “yeah” backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, keys) and Russell Simons on drums, plus non-JSBX Kenny Brown on (slide) guitar. I remember my mind being entirely blown by this record in the mid-90’s; JSBX was (and still is) one of my favorite bands and this collaboration was simply epic. “Snake Drive” remains one of my top blues (exploded) songs ever – I’m not positive but fairly certain it is Judah who screams “SNAKE DRIVE” at the end of the track. Absolutely killer guitar and rhythm driven blues. Other top picks include the opener “Goin’ Down South,” Burnside’s rendition of John Lee Hooker’s classic “Boogie Chillin,” the harmonica-forward “Shake ’em On Down” (written by Bukka White  though he’s not credited on this album) and the narrative-driven “The Criminal Inside Me” (the lyrics of which include the LP’s title) which is the most JSBX track on the record (or the one that shows JSBX’s inspiration the most?) as at times it’s a dead ringer for JSBX’s classic “Blues X Man” (from 1994’s Orange) except when Jon asks RL for money (“40 nickels) for a bag of potato chips and RL responds that he’s going “kick your ass you sonofabitch.”