Just as the Nevilles preserve the legacy of Crescent City funk, so too does the Burnside family preserve the legacy of North Mississippi hill country blues. Drawing from the spirit of his fabled grandfather, bluesmaster, R.L. Burnside, drummer Cedric Burnside and his partner Lightnin’ Malcolm add another chapter to the storied blues from the Mississippi hills on 2 Man Wrecking Crew, their first release on the Delta Groove imprint.

Like a thunderstorm rattling on a rusty tin roof with the wind roaring through the trees and thunder echoing in the background, the duo stirs up the droning rhythms, spiraling wails, and rippling force of the backwoods. Cedric—also the son of legendary drummer, Calvin Jackson—is no stranger to the rugged blues of the North Country as he spent several years manning the kit behind the elder Burnside. And his counterpart, Missouri native Steve Malcolm, certainly packs a Lightnin’ guitar hand as his gritty, jarring riffs carry the fire needed to ripple though Burnside’s bristly howl and bust-’em-up beats.

Making the best use of raw, earthy production, 2 Man Wrecking Crew delivers a blistering set of sultry roadhouse romps. On the opening number, “R.L. Burnside,” a tribute to “Big Daddy” himself, the boys show that they plan to inject a bit of soul into the beat of their back porch boogie. But the focus here is blues, and from the funky electricity of “So Much Love” to the hard pressed luck of “Don’t Just Sing About the Blues” to the snaking grunge of “Fightin’” to the swampy rattle of “Mad Man Blues,” they rumble through the album with a staunch combination of powerful, bare-knuckled rhythms and scathing guitar licks.

While Burnside and Malcolm may not catapult to mainstream success like the Black Keys and the White Stripes, this duo may just be the kick in the pants that the roots rock scene needs to get the juke joints stomping.