You know that song "Papa Was A Rolling Stone?" Well, this guy's papa actually wrote "Rolling Stone." I mean the original. The one that both Mick Jagger and Jann Wenner lifted for their own commercial ventures.

If you're caught unaware of the last name, "Big Bill Morganfield's" father was the legendary Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), probably the most credible, respected, renowned Chicago bluesman (if you're not including B.B. King) to ever bring the blues to a broad audience. Muddy's legacy is so heavy, that his talented son has shunned the music business for most of his life.

So, like Hank Williams, Jr., Jakob Dylan, and the other sons of the pioneers, there's a weight heaved on the young Morganfield that most artists will never get collared wearing. And dragging around a comparative history for most of your young career could give any guy the blues. Uh huh.

But, according to this debut disc, Morganfield eases into the challenge with a tact and authority that would do dad proud. By tackling a handful of the old man's covers ("Screamin' & Cryin" and "Champagne & Reefer"), while using his latter-day backing band (guitarist Bob Margolin, piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie Smith, and Paul Oscher on harmonica), Morganfield rises to the daunting task. And like an old mule, he kicks.

Opening with the quick shuffle of "Diamonds At Your Feet," it's apparent that Morganfield is into his own vibe. With a vigorous, gospelish voice that cracks and growls much like his dad's, Big Bill emits a deeper range, topped with a compelling falsetto. By the time Morganfield's original "Left Hand Blues" follows through, you will also begin to notice his swift slide guitar work, with its smooth, sophisticated licks that shift between the Delta and a modern urban touch.

It's perhaps during the emphatic reading of Willie Dixon's "The Same Thing" (a tune that was in Muddy's set for over 30 years), where the younger Morganfield finds his own blues among the legends. He summons up all of the pain and strife he can muster for a spectacular performance that must have ol' McKinley smiling down from the clouds. Maybe it is the same thing. A wonderful debut.