Not the Same Old Blues Crap, Vol. 3

Fat Possum established themselves with the raw, hypnotic Mississippi electric blues of folks like the late, great Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, but that isn't their only stock in trade, as evidenced by their third label compilation, Not the Same Old Blues Crap, Vol. 3. R.L. Burnside appears a couple times, once in a nice acoustic setting and once in a more modern setting featuring rapper Lyrics Born. Not exactly what you'd expect from Fat Possum, but it works! In addition to the blues offerings, there are some solid rockers, too, from the raw rock of the Black Keys to Iggy & the Stooges covering Junior Kimbrough. Both Thee Shams and Paul Westerberg's Grandpaboy channel the swaggering spirit of the Rolling Stones in their '70s heyday, with Thee Shams singer Zach Gabbard sounding uncannily like a young Mick Jagger. Either you like Bob Log III or you don't, but regardless, he continues with his boob fetish in probably the weakest moment of the album. The real treasure trove is to be found in the recordings of George Mitchell, which Fat Possum acquired the rights to, featuring unreleased performances from the likes of Furry Lewis and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Not the Same Old Blues Crap, Vol. 3 surely lives up to its moniker, and coupled with a budget price, it makes it a good way to check out what Fat Possum is all about. ~ Sean Westergaard