Whether or not the North Mississippi Allstars would agreethat their latest, Up and Rolling,plays like a concept album- in that it’s a tribute to and update of the folkand electric blues music of their homeground- there is no doubting it’s a purposefullyexecuted study of time and place. Lutherand Cody Dickinson- the sibling pair behind it all- have long been champions ofthe sounds indigenous to the hill country where they grew up, and to thedeceased heroes of the music, like Otha Turner, Junior Kimbrough, and theirfather, Jim Dickinson, to name three. With Carl Dufrene on bass, a duo of vocals from Sharde Thomas andSharisse Norman, and a batch of special guests, NMA merge classics with inspiredoriginals for a slinky, sometimes druggy, sometimes provocative journey throughNorth Mississippi.
The opening “Call That Gone” starts with the familiarlockstep groove the Dickinson brothers share seemingly as a birthright, but it’sthe appearance of Turner’s granddaughter Thomas on fife that takes itimmediately to a different place sonically. Luther’s slide and coercive vocal doubled by the high-pitched puffs fromThomas’ bamboo pipe, and her sultry voice answering Luther, magnetically pullin, snake dancing with Cody’s relentless snare and Dufrene’s pulsing bottomend. It’s a killer combination thatswirls around while it stings, leading the ear through the spaces to meet eachof the ensemble.
Excavating nuggets of culture and soul, a subtle butdetectable diversity permeates the record; taking the hippy trip on the titletrack; welcoming R&B/gospel queen Mavis Staple’s on her family’s gem, “WhatYou Gonna Do?”; following Jason Isbell and Duane Betts as they weave throughthe countrified jam of “Mean Old World,” a track once graced by Eric Claptonand Duane Allman during the Laylasessions.
The Allstars drop in two from RL Burnside- the winking“Peaches” and “Out on the Road,” the latter featuring RL’s grandson,Cedric. And there is a pair oforiginals- “Bump that Mother” and “Living Free,” sounding like Schoolhouse Rock meets the juke joint;the former conflating having fun in the backseat with burning the stars andbars off the Mississippi flag. Give NMAa nod for getting funky and political.
The coda, as it were, is a quick, lo-fi snippet of Otha singinghis “Bye Bye Baby.” It’s raw and sweetand more than enough history wrapped up in 38 seconds to understand why theNorth Mississippi Allstars care so much for this music, and carry it, withtheir friends, for the next generation.
