North Mississippi Allstars - 51 Phantom

Size: 293 MB
Time: 43:30
File: Flac
Released: 2001
Styles: Blues
Art: Front

1. 51 Phantom (3:17)
2. Snakes In My Bushes (3:44)
3. Sugartown (3:47)
4. Lord Have Mercy (5:27)
5. Storm (4:20)
6. Freedom Highway (3:17)
7. Circle In The Sky (3:34)
8. Ship (5:29)
9. Leavin' (3:17)
10. Up Over Yonder (3:49)
11. Mud (3:25)

51 Phantom is the second studio album by American band North Mississippi Allstars. It was released on October 9, 2001, through Tone-Cool Records. The recording sessions took place at Zebra Ranch Complex in Tate County, Mississippi. The album was produced by Jim Dickinson. It features contributions from Ben Nichols and John C. Stubblefield of Lucero, Brenda Patterson, Jackie Johnson, Susan Marshall, Othar Turner, and Jim Dickinson.

The album found minor success on the US Billboard charts, peaking at number 20 on the Independent Albums and number 29 on the Heatseekers Albums. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Solomon Burke's Don't Give Up on Me.

51 Phantom FLAC

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North Mississippi Allstars - Still Shakin'

Album: Still Shakin'
Size: 111,1 MB
Time: 48:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Blues/Roots
Art: Front

1. Preachin' Blues (3:34)
2. Stay All Night (5:48)
3. My Mind Is Ramblin' (4:10)
4. Pray For Peace (4:03)
5. K.C. Jones (Part II) (3:57)
6. Still Shakin' (4:05)
7. Poor Boy (4:58)
8. Don't Let The Devil Ride (6:14)
9. Write Me A Few Lines (4:00)
10. John Henry (4:20)
11. Monomyth (Folk Hero's Last Ride) (2:51)

There have been numerous changes in music and culture since the North Mississippi Allstars released their debut, ‘Shake Hands with Shorty,’ back in May of 2000. At that time, four years after forming, most of the world was using dial-up, Apple’s iPhone was still seven years away, Netflix was sending DVDs through the mail, and neither Wikipedia nor YouTube existed. But the Mississippi Allstars’ music - a raw, occasionally punky, rip-snorting combination of Delta blues, rockabilly, country, gospel, and even funk - hasn’t altered much since that Grammy nominated title appeared on the now defunct Tone-Cool label. The band, led by multi-instrumentalist brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, has gone through various changes in supporting personnel. But their approach through eleven more studio sets and a handful of live ones, has adhered to that original template.

A quarter century later, they are proudly still at it, on the road as headliners and back in the studio for their 12th release, the self-referencing ‘Still Shakin’.’ Despite sticking to the same basic blueprint, there is nothing rote about NMAS’ attack. Push play and strap in as they take Robert Johnson’s “Preachin’ Blues” for a spin. Cody punches out a rambunctious double-timed beat, Luther goes falsetto for his vocals before kicking into a zippy, staccato guitar solo and the band breathlessly chugs along like a runaway train barely hanging onto the tracks. It sets a high bar for the remaining ten songs, which these guys have no problem meeting. As if to put an exclamation point on this reference to their roots, they cover tunes from initial mentors like R.L. Burnside (“Poor Boy” gets updated with a synth bass and Burnside’s son Duwayne on vocals and guitar) and Junior Kimbrough (a swamped up “Stay All Night” with Junior’s son Robert and a wonderfully wobbly slide guitar).

A funky/chunky, down-home take on Mississippi Fred McDowell’s “Write Me a Few Lines” is another updated classic. The title of Furry Lewis’ “Casey Jones” changes to “K.C. Jones (Pt. ll)” and smokes into Grateful Dead territory with assistance from Widespread Panic’s Jojo Hermann (a Mississippi homey) and the Dead’s Phil Lesh’ son Grahame handling bass with the skill of his late dad. For the dreamier, at times psychedelic, vibe of Kimbrough’s “My Mind is Ramblin” the Allstars invite Sharisse and Shontelle Norman to infuse a woman’s touch to the otherwise all-dude lineup. The band gets socio-political on the original “Pray for Peace,” a galloping gospel seemingly meant to be sung by Sunday church parishioners.

Continuing that religious feeling is an updated traditional, “Don’t Let the Devil Ride,” that froths with a funk backbeat. Guest vocalist Joey Williams warns us that “If you let that devil ride/he’ll surely want to drive,” combining gospel and R&B with a casual yet caustic groove. The closing cover of Furry Lewis’ “John Henry,” a sad tale of the titular steel worker who dies on the job, gets a militaristic beat from Cody’s drums, which start slow, speeding up as they mesh with Luther’s slide guitar. “I want a cool drink of water ‘fore I die” he sings as the album slithers to an end on this classic country blues. The Allstars once described themselves as “Modern Mississippi Music” and 25 years later that still applies. They are ‘Still Shakin’ a raucous, rootsy sound that never goes out of style. /Hal Horowitz, Rock & Blues Muse

Still Shakin' mc
Still Shakin' gofile

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North Mississippi Allstars - Set Sail

Size: 102.3 MB
Time: 44:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Never Want To Be Kissed (Feat. William Bell) (3:42)
02. Bumpin’ (2:52)
03. Didn’t We Have A Time (6:04)
04. See The Moon (Feat. Lamar Williams Jr. & Sharisse Norman) (3:21)
05. Outside (Feat. Lamar Williams Jr.) (4:58)
06. Set Sail Part I (Feat. Lamar Williams Jr.) (4:57)
07. Set Sail Part II (Feat. Lamar Williams Jr.) (4:33)
08. Juicy Juice (3:32)
09. Rabbit Foot (Feat. Lamar Williams Jr.) (4:05)
10. Authentic (Feat. Lamar Williams Jr.) (6:15)

The North Mississippi Allstars have mastered their métier and pin the meter on “Set Sail.” The 10 tunes from brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson and their casual collective are loose but tight, playful and joyful, high-flying but grounded in a groove.

It’s a family affair, and Luther channels his inner Sly Stone leading two- and three-part vocal arrangements that include Lamar Williams Jr., son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams Sr. The singalong vibe creates a hippy glow, and Luther sounds as if he has his feet up as he sings “feeling laid back” on the swamp romp “Bumpin’.”

The pulse comes courtesy of Cody, whose economical drumming style could coax a bouncy beat from a cooked spaghetti noodle smacked against an appliance manual. He needs just a few strokes kicking off the title cut to establish the album’s funk foundation, and shines especially bright on “Juicy Juice,” a funny hip-shaker that might make Prince blush.

The Dickinsons are always generous about sharing the spotlight, and R&B veteran William Bell draws on his Stax roots taking the lead vocal on “Never Want to Be Kissed,” which swings on a bed of both strings and horns. Sharisse Norman helps with call-and-response vocals on the dance tune “See the Moon,” and John Medeski contributes keyboard colors on two cuts.

The closing tune, “Authentic,” explains how the brothers do what they do: “We be funky naturally.” They make it sound so easy. ~Steven Wine

Set Sail MP3
Set Sail FLAC

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VA - Blues Singles Collection Vol. 10

Size: 259,9 MB
Time: 111:42
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Acoustic/Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01 Sugaray Rayford - Homemade Disaster (3:14)
02 Robert Wilkins - O Lord I Want You To Help Me (3:24)
03 Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters - Albert's Stomp (4:42)
04 Roosevelt Sykes - The Honey Dripper (2:56)
05 Rusty Young & Janiva Magness - Harmony (4:47)
06 Sebastian Lane - Live For The Day (Feat. Brooke Beucler) (5:36)
07 Taylor Scott Band - Hair Of Indigo (Live) (9:59)
08 The Allman Betts Band - Pale Horse Rider (4:43)
09 The Cold Stares - Third World War (3:22)
10 The Pretty Things - Bright As Blood (4:44)
11 William Shatner & Canned Heat - Let's Work Together (2:45)
12 Robert Pete Williams - Rolling Stone (Chicago Version) (4:49)
13 North Mississippi Allstars - Catfish (Feat. Cedric Burnside) (3:51)
14 Johnny Winter - Gangster Of Love (2:28)
15 Craig Erickson - Catman (4:17)
16 The Cold Stares - Just Beyond The Dawn (3:10)
17 Bettye Lavette - Blues For The Weepers (3:46)
18 Mike Ross - The Loser (4:36)
19 Griffin Holtby - Feel My Heart (2:55)
20 Balkun Brothers - Fonk Schwee (3:04)
21 Funkwrench Blues - You Move Like Funk (Feat. Eric McFadden) (2:13)
22 Eric Johanson - Nowhere To Go (2:36)
23 Beaux Gris Gris & The Apocalypse - Bungalow Paradise (3:37)
24 Chris Kramer & Beatbox 'n' Blues - Can't Bring Me Down (Live) (2:55)
25 Jeff Chaz - Come With Me (9:07)
26 ElectroBluesSociety - Killing Floor (Feat. Boo Boo Davis) (4:14)
27 The Blind Boys Of Alabama - Singing Brings Us Closer (3:42)

A collection of blues singles released in Aug 2020 compiled by myself.

Blues Singles Collection Vol. 10

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VA - Another One For Woody: Roseland Ballroom, NY

Size: 616 MB
Time: 4:25:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Blues Rock, Rock
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - Just Outside Of Heaven ( 6:54)
02. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - The Lucky One ( 4:38)
03. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - I Shall Be Released ( 7:00)
04. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - Shimmy The Wobble / Station Blues / Preachin' Blues ( 7:57)
05. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - Glory Glory Glory ( 6:11)
06. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - Po Black Maddie / Skinny Woman / Jumpercable (10:42)
07. North Mississippi All-Stars Duo - Whiskey Rock Rolla ( 6:48)

CD 2:
01. Gov't Mule - Railroad Boy ( 5:27)
02. Gov't Mule - Blind Man In The Dark ( 8:56)
03. Gov't Mule - Steppin' Lightly ( 7:30)
04. Gov't Mule - Banks Of The Deep End ( 6:18)
05. Gov't Mule - Stage Banter 1 ( 0:43)
06. Gov't Mule - I'm A Ram (10:49)
07. Gov't Mule - Stage Banter 2 ( 1:46)
08. Gov't Mule - Dear Prudence ( 9:02)
09. Gov't Mule - Stage Banter 3 ( 0:27)
10. Gov't Mule - 3220 Blues (10:33)

CD 3:
01. Gov't Mule - Announcement (0:27)
02. Gov't Mule - Stay With Me (6:29)
03. Gov't Mule - Sometimes Salvation (4:43)
04. Gov't Mule - Stage Banter 4 (1:32)
05. Gov't Mule - Simple Man (8:49)
06. Gov't Mule - Wishing Well (5:35)
07. Gov't Mule - Soulshine (7:48)

CD 4:
01. Allman Brothers Band - Want You No More ( 2:39)
02. Allman Brothers Band - Not My Cross To Bear ( 5:03)
03. Allman Brothers Band - Of The Line ( 7:04)
04. Allman Brothers Band - One To Run With (10:49)
05. Allman Brothers Band - Hearted Woman (10:56)
06. Allman Brothers Band - Been Talking ( 9:41)
07. Allman Brothers Band - Rider ( 3:20)

CD 5:
01. Allman Brothers Band - Stage Banter ( 0:22)
02. Allman Brothers Band - One Way Out ( 6:08)
03. Allman Brothers Band - Statesboro Blues ( 5:20)
04. Allman Brothers Band - Stage Banter 6 ( 0:29)
05. Allman Brothers Band - The Weight (11:14)
06. Allman Brothers Band - Stage Banter ( 0:34)
07. Allman Brothers Band - Franklin's Tower (12:18)
08. Allman Brothers Band - Stage Banter ( 0:56)
09. Allman Brothers Band - Southbound ( 7:59)
10. Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post (15:22)
11. Allman Brothers Band - Wishing You Were Here ( 7:00)

On September 21, 2000, following the passing of Allen Woody, a founding member of Gov’t Mule and longtime Allman Brothers Band bass player, many of his friends and musical heroes came together to celebrate his life at a historic concert at Roseland Ballroom in New York City. “One For Woody” was a landmark event that lives on as a cherished memory for all those who were in attendance.

On November 22, 2010 at Roseland, “Another One For Woody” will feature sets by The Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and The North Mississippi Allstars Duo (Luther and Cody Dickinson) along with many special guests who were touched by Allen’s friendship, music and memory. Like the original concert, “Another One For Woody” all net proceeds will go to a cause near to Allen’s heart. This 10th Anniversary event will raise money for musical education in schools.

Another One For Woody

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VA - Black Snake Moan OST

Size: 118,1 MB
Time: 49:44
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Delta Blues, Blues Rock, Soundtrack
Art: Full

01. Scott Bomar - Opening Theme (0:38)
02. Son House - Ain't But One Kind Of Blues (0:11)
03. Samuel L. Jackson - Just Like A Bird Without A Feather (2:22)
04. The Black Keys - When The Lights Go Out (3:13)
05. Jessie Mae Hemphill -Standing In My Doorway Crying (4:40)
06. Bobby Rush - Chicken Heads (2:32)
07. Samuel L. Jackson - Black Snake Moan (4:04)
08. Precious Bryant - Morning Train (3:00)
09. John Doe - The Losing Kind (2:33)
10. Outrageous Cherry - Lord Have Mercy On Me (3:04)
11. Scott Bomar - Ronnie And Rae's Theme (1:08)
12. Scott Bomar - The Chain (2:50)
13. Samuel L. Jackson - Alice Mae (3:48)
14. Samuel L. Jackson - Stack-O-Lee (3:30)
15. R.L. Burnside - Old Black Mattie (4:10)
16. Son House - That's Where The Blues Started (0:21)
17. North Mississippi Allstars - Mean Ol' Wind Died Down (7:31)

This soundtrack to the film written and directed by Craig Brewer is as steeped in the Southern blues as his Hustle and Flow was in hip-hop. The biggest surprise here is how well actor Samuel L. Jackson (who seems to have a thing for "Snake" films) holds his own as a blues singer against selections from Son House and R.L. Burnside. He sounds like a throwback to the classic Delta bluesmen on "Just Like a Bird Without a Feather," does a convincing take on the Blind Lemon Jefferson title track, and rocks the juke joint on "Alice Mae" and a down-and-dirty recasting of "Stack-O-Lee." Produced by the Bo-Keys' Scott Bomar (who also scored Brewer's previous movie), the 17-cut soundtrack features a kaleidoscopic array of blues, from the primal throb of the Black Keys' "When the Lights Go Out" and the funk of Bobby Rush's classic "Chicken Heads" to the spiritual lilt of Precious Bryant's "Morning Train" and the North Mississippi Allstars' expansive finale, "Mean Ol' Wind Died Down." --Don McLeese

Black Snake Moan MP3
Black Snake Moan FLAC

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VA - Don't Pass Me By: A Tribute To Sean Costello

Size: 143,1 MB
Time: 60:33
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01 Albert Castiglia - Same Old Game (3:32)
02 Steve Marriner - How In The Devil (3:35)
03 Watermelon Slim - Who's Been Cheatin' Who (2:46)
04 Victor Wainwright - Don't Pass Me By (6:26)
05 Candye Kane & Laura Chavez - I've Got To Ride (3:44)
06 Bob Margolin - Low Life Blues (4:08)
07 Seth Walker - All I Can Do (5:16)
08 Sonia Leigh - No Half Steppin' (3:48)
09 Nick Moss Band - Hard Luck Woman (3:09)
10 North Mississippi Allstars - Father (4:14)
11 The Electromatics - She Changed My Mind (3:48)
12 Debbie Davies - Don't Be Reckless With My Heart (3:11)
13 The Morning Life - You're A Part Of Me (3:54)
14 Matt Wauchope Trio - Can't Let Go (4:00)
15 Oliver Wood & Amy Helm - Feel Like I Ain't Got A Home (4:55)

'Don't Pass Me By', is a tribute to the original songs of Sean Costello. Lovingly donated by an exceptional group of blues artists for the benefit of The Sean Costello Memorial Fund, which was established after his passing to research bi-polar disease, the album brings Costello's songwriting talents to the forefront. Among the notable recording artists included are the North Mississippi All-Stars, Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers), Amy Helm, and Bob Margolin. Produced by Jon Justice and Dave Gross, the album features all previously unreleased recordings. DON'T PASS ME BY showcases Costello's tunes in a remarkable array of 15 distinctive performances that enhance his well known abilities as an influential blues singer and powerful guitarist.

Don't Pass Me By

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North Mississippi Allstars - Up And Rolling

Size: 105,5 MB
Time: 44:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front & Back

01. Call That Gone (4:44)
02. Up And Rolling (5:03)
03. What You Gonna Do? (Feat. Mavis Staples) (3:21)
04. Drunk Outdoors (3:37)
05. Peaches (5:17)
06. Mean Old World (Feat. Jason Isbell & Duane Betts) (6:32)
07. Out On The Road (Feat. Cedric Burnside) (2:18)
08. Lonesome In My Home (3:06)
09. Bump That Music (3:11)
10. Living Free (3:56)
11. Take My Hand, Precious Lord (Feat. Cedric Burnside) (3:07)
12. Otha's Bye Bye Baby (Feat. Otha Turner) (0:38)

'A forgotten roll of film was found. Shot before the turn of the century, the photographs resonate with music. The images inspired an accompanying soundtrack. The music is full of stories. The songs and stories originate in two neighboring rural counties. The cast of characters includes four families of Mississippi musicians, three generations deep, and a photographer from Texas.' - Luther Dickinson In 2017, Wyatt McSpadden found an old roll of film and tracked down members of North Mississippi Allstars to share his forgotten photographs. The images were so profound and so beautiful that they would come to inspire the latest recording, Up And Rolling. The images inspired the band to ask, 'What did the music sound like that night in 96? What does Mississippi music sound like now? What would ideally be on the push button AM/FM radio as we drove thru the hills?' The North Mississippi Allstars would return to the famous Zebra Ranch to record Up And Rolling, inspired by Wyatt's images. They gathered together, trimmed back the wisteria, and swept out the converted barn recording studio. The fired up the tube amps and old computers and began conjuring up modern Mississippi music, ancient and futuristic all at once. Telling it how it was and how they think it should be. Up And Rolling is modern Mississippi. Transcending time and space, the music reaches out into the dark of night like the wisteria vine, looking for free hearted souls to latch onto and wedge into the foundation of hate, slowly tearing down walls a generation at a time.

Up And Rolling

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North Mississippi Allstars - Up And Rolling

Size: 105.2 MB
Time: 44:58
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2019
Styles: Alt-Country & Americana
Art: Front

1. Call That Gone [4:44]
2. Up and Rolling [5:03]
3. Drunk Outdoors [3:37]
4. Peaches [5:17]
5. Lonesome in My Home [3:06]
6. Bump That Music [3:11]
7. Living Free [3:56]
8. Out on the Road [2:18]
9. Take My Hand, Precious Lord [3:07]
10. Mean Old World [6:32]
11. What You Gonna Do? [3:21]
12. Otha's Bye Bye Baby [0:38]

The tenth album from North Mississippi Allstars, Up and Rolling, was inspired by a forgotten roll of film. Shot by Texas photographer Wyatt McSpadden, the images documented a Sunday in 1996 when Luther and Cody Dickinson showed the photographer around their native north Mississippi—a month later, the Allstars made their Memphis debut, using their father Jim Dickinson’s roots music concepts as a springboard for experimentation, and the rest is history. Over two decades later, after McSpadden rediscovered the photos he’d taken and tracked down the Dickinson brothers in 2017, those timeless images inspired the band to transmute those memories into music.

Up And Rolling

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North Mississippi Allstars - Hill Country Revue

Size: 182,8 MB
Time: 78:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2004
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Shake 'Em On Down ( 5:14)
02. Po Black Maddie/Skinny Woman/Po Black Maddie (12:54)
03. Jumper On The Line ( 5:17)
04. Bad Bad Pain ( 2:46)
05. Down In Mississippi ( 5:07)
06. Never In All My Days ( 4:18)
07. Boomer's Story ( 4:37)
08. Psychedelic Sex Machine ( 4:58)
09. Shimmy She Wobble/Station Blues ( 9:11)
10. Friend Of Mine ( 4:02)
11. Be So Glad ( 7:21)
12. Snake Drive ( 5:06)
13. Goin' Home Part Two ( 4:13)
14. Going Down South ( 3:01)

Personnel:
R.L. Boyce - Drums (Snare), Vocals
Duwayne Burnside - Drums, Guitar, Vocals
Garry Burnside - Guitar
R.L. Burnside - Vocals
Chris Chew - Bass, Vocals
Cody Dickinson - Drums, Guitar, Vocals, Washboard
Jim Dickinson - Keyboards, Organ, Vocals
Luther Dickinson - Guitar, Vocals
Andre Evans - drums (Bass)
Rodney Evans, Aubrey Turner - drums (Snare)
Chris Robinson - Vocals

The North Mississippi Allstars were invited to play the 2004 Bonnaroo festival, but instead of just bringing the band itself, they brought along all kinds of friends and family and dubbed it the North Mississippi Hill Country Revue. North Mississippi appears to be an incestuous musical community (just take a look at the players on R.L. Burnside's and Junior Kimbrough's albums), and this show comes off as a giant, joyous family affair. There are the Dickinsons: Luther and Cody along with their legendary father Jim, and three generations of Burnsides with R.L., sons Duwayne and Garry, and grandson Cody (R.L.'s wife was there too). In addition, Othar Turner's Rising Star Fife & Drum Band is being carried on by Othar's grandsons, and bassist Chris Chew and JoJo Hermann would have to be considered members of the extended family, having played with all those folks. The North Mississippi Allstars brand of roots rock and Mississippi blues seems tailor-made for a festival like this, and the good times shine through the great music. It's a loose, rambling set that occasionally drags a bit during introductions and audience interaction, but when the band gets down to playing, some real magic happens. They can play just about anything convincingly, from greasy Mississippi blues like "Snake River Drive" to sounding like the Band on Ry Cooder's "Boomer's Story," even making music from just an electrified washboard (wah-wah washboard) and cigar box guitar (no fooling!). Luther's slide can't help but remind one of Duane Allman, even when he's slipping Dr. John quotes into "Down in Mississippi." They know their history too, dipping into the Mississippi Sheiks songbook while performing with the Rising Star Fife & Drum Band ("Station Blues" aka "Sittin' on Top of the World" goes back to 1930 or so). There are high points throughout the album, but they really hit their stride on the last three tunes or so. No flash, no egos, and no pretension, just genuine American music played from the heart.

Hill Country Revue

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North Mississippi Allstars - Electric Blue Watermelon (Limited Edition)

Size: 183,1 MB
Time: 78:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2005
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Mississippi Boll Weevil (2:48)
02. No Mo (4:56)
03. Teasin' Brown (3:38)
04. Moonshine (4:18)
05. Hurry Up Sunrise (4:58)
06. Stompin' My Foot (3:37)
07. Bang Bang Lulu (4:03)
08. Deep Blue Sea (3:52)
09. Mean Ol' Wind Died Down (7:22)
10. Horseshoe (5:02)
11. Bounce Ball (4:43)
12. Done Got Late pt. 1 (3:58)
13. Done Got Late pt. 2 (1:57)
14. Ol' Blue (2:30)
15. Lord Sparing (3:44)
16. Teasin' Brown (4:01)
17. Bang Bang Lulu (5:43)
18. Mean Ol' Wind Died Down (6:43)

Although they may mix elements of hip-hop and alternative rock into their repertoire, the North Mississippi Allstars are really at their best when they blow out the rust on the kind of Mississippi folk-blues numbers they learned first hand from the likes of R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Othar Turner.
The lead track here, a blisteringly ragged version of Charley Patton's "Mississippi Boll Weevil Blues," is a case in point. Stripped down and raw, it thunders along on Cody Dickinson's drums, throwing dynamics to the wind until the end, when it breaks down to just washboard and drums, then rises back up into a furious, marching stomp rhythm, before winding wistfully away on Luther Dickinson's slide guitar work.
It's a wonderful rendition, and it reestablishes the past in the present without doing damage to either, a balancing act that the NMA do as well as anyone currently on the rock or blues scenes.
Produced by legendary Memphis producer (and the father of Luther and Cody) Jim Dickinson, Electric Blue Watermelon has lots of similar moments that reach back to older songs, but instead of re-imagining them, as many artists would do, the Allstars simply amplify what is already there, a bit like tweaking out (but not replacing) the engine in an old stock car.
This means the songs still carry the original package of nuts and bolts that made them work in the first place, but with the added kick of being covered by a top-notch band that understands that no one gets anywhere without understanding the past.
This doesn't mean that the NMA reproduces the past, just that they understand it.
For their version of Odetta's "Deep Blue Sea," for instance, the Allstars actually speed things a hair, but keep the churchy feel of the original, and the result is a delightfully nuanced and bluesy folk hymn that is reverent to its source, but expands on it as well.
Two of the songs here ("Teasin' Brown" and "Hurry Up Sunrise,") were worked up by Luther from tapes of the late fife-and-drum-master Othar Turner talking and improvising lyrics on his front porch, while "No Mo" and "Stompin' My Foot" feature Mississippi rapper Al Kapone doing essentially the same thing ("Stompin'" also features some blazing pedal steel guitar work from the amazing Robert Randolph), and all of it ends up sounding like it was cut from the same sturdy bolt of cloth. Another highlight is "Moonshine," a NMA original that sounds a bit like an alt rock version of the Allman Brothers Band, thanks to Luther's Duane Allman-like slide tone.
The North Mississippi Allstars call what they do "world boogie," and that's a fine term, but what they really are is a 21st century version of a good old Southern rock band who know all too well that the hills of North Mississippi are alive with real folk music.
Just like the final track here, Turner's "Bounce Ball," which starts out as a relentless fife-and-drum march before giving way to the sound of crickets and frogs in the Mississippi night; this is a band that has found a place to stand that makes sense.

Electric Blue Watermelon

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North Mississippi Allstars - Prayer For Peace

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:47
Size: 97.9 MB
Styles: Hill Country blues
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[3:40] 1. Prayer For Peace
[4:28] 2. Need To Be Free
[2:40] 3. Miss Maybelle
[2:21] 4. Run Red Rooster
[2:55] 5. Stealin'
[4:19] 6. Deep Ellum
[4:34] 7. Bird Without A Feather
[2:03] 8. You Got To Move
[3:06] 9. 61 Highway
[4:40] 10. Long Haired Doney
[5:03] 11. Bid You Goodnight
[2:53] 12. P4P2017

The North Mississippi Allstars celebrate their 20th anniversary (21st, actually) by going all the way back to their roots. Prayer for Peace is a set comprised mostly of blues and folk covers played by Luther & Cody Dickinson assisted by a cast of friends and longstanding collaborators. While five tracks were tracked at Grand Royal Studios in Memphis with co-producer Boo Mitchell, the remainder of the 11 tunes were cut all over the country with a host of guest musicians.

The title track is an original deep blues tune with a slippery, funky backbeat. Longtime collaborator Sharde Thomas (granddaughter of blues pioneer Otha Turner and the leader of the Rising Star Fife & Drum Ensemble) adds a duet harmony vocal and her fife to Luther's shouting guitar, Cody's funky snare, and guest Oteil Burbridge's bumping bassline. The Allstars pay righteous homage to heroes here, too. The riotous take on R.L. Burnside's "Long Haired Doney" is one of three associated with the Delta bluesman -- who personally mentored the Dickinsons. The other two are the house rockin' "Miss Maybelle," and the moaning, crash-and-burn take on "Bird Without a Feather." Fred McDowell's "You Got to Move" (that features Hill Country guitar ace Kenny Brown) offers an update to the Rolling Stones' read with its tight, funky snare, dirty-ass slide, and the entwined voices of Luther and bassist Danielle Nicole. "61 Highway" is even more unhinged, with roiling distortion and clattering drum kit -- it juxtaposes the deep Delta juke joint blues against the showier Chicago style read through McDowell's own steely bird's-eye view. The Dickinsons deliver a wonderful take on the American traditional folk-country-blues "Deep Ellum." The tune pays homage to the historic black Dallas neighborhood that gave the world Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, and Lead Belly. It was first recorded in the early 20th century by the Cofer Brothers (as Georgia Black Bottom) and later covered by everyone from the Shelton Brothers in the '30s to Jerry Lee Lewis in the '50s and the Grateful Dead in the '80s. It's done here as a party boogie with Dominic Davis on bass and Sharise Norman adding glorious harmony vocals. The set-closer is a sweet, tender cover of the country gospel standard "Bid You Goodnight." The song dates back to the 19th century, but its two most famous versions are Joseph Spence & the Pindar Family's from the '50s, and the Dead's in the late '60s.This take retains the sweet country feel with Luther's slide playing the role of another singing voice. The North Mississippi Allstars have given us one of their finest recordings simply by being true to themselves. This music is eternal, and their obvious reverence for it is shown in how easily they just let it come through. No matter where it was recorded or who plays on it, the feel is the same: Open, willing, and wooly. ~Thom Jurek

Prayer For Peace

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North Mississippi Allstars - World Boogie Is Coming

Size: 137,5 MB
Time: 58:26
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Jr ( 2:40)
02. Goat Meat ( 3:45)
03. Rollin 'n Tumblin ( 2:36)
04. Boogie ( 3:53)
05. Get The Snakes Out The Woods ( 0:37)
06. Snake Drive ( 2:47)
07. That Dog After That Rabbit ( 0:32)
08. Meet Me In The City ( 4:36)
09. Turn Up Satan ( 4:41)
10. Shimmy ( 3:01)
11. My Babe ( 1:27)
12. Granny, Does Your Dog Bite ( 2:00)
13. World Boogie ( 4:04)
14. Goin' To Brownsville ( 6:51)
15. I'm Leaving ( 3:45)
16. Jumper On The Line (10:03)
17. Cuttin' Shorty ( 1:01)

Although they have mixed elements of hip-hop and alternative rock into their repertoire, the North Mississippi Allstars are really at their best when they blow out the rust on the kind of Mississippi folk-blues numbers they learned firsthand from the likes of R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Othar Turner. Essentially a swampy, rootsy power blues duo comprised of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, slide guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums), the sons of legendary Memphis producer and musician Jim Dickinson, the Allstars have always had one foot in the traditional cane and drum bands of North Mississippi, another in the electric modal drone version of the blues practiced at local juke joints and house parties, and yet another in the grand rock power stomp style of Led Zeppelin. It all added up to a powerfully original and yet somehow traditional-sounding version of 21st century blues-rock that had them sounding like no other band. After five albums of such fare, each a ragged, back-porch, Deep South boogie fest, the brothers went on hiatus in 2009 after the death of their father. When they came back together and re-entered the studio, they took one of Jim Dickinson's favorite blessings, "world boogie is coming," as a project title, and began laying down tracks in a loose, ambient manner, leaving in bits of background conversation, footsteps, wind, rain, whatever sounds happened, then flew in archival field recordings of Turner and Burnside and built from them, aided by friends and fellow musicians Lightnin' Malcolm, Duwayne Burnside and Garry Burnside (R.L.'s sons), Kenny Brown, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Shardé Thomas (Turner's granddaughter), Chris Chew, Sid Selvidge and Steve Selvidge, Robert Plant (on harmonica), and others. The end result is NMA's masterpiece, each track a fascinating blend of old and new, a seamless, chugging look at Mississippi country-folk-boogie, with Luther's jagged, commanding guitar riffs and haunting slide runs sewing everything together, while Cody's powerful, thundering drums march everything across the landscape. The version of the traditional blues "Rollin 'n Tumblin" here is a pure sonic blast that straddles two centuries at once, while "Boogie" sounds like a giant electric marching band stomping across the land. NMA's version of Junior Kimbrough's "Meet Me in the City" here almost sounds like power pop, but filtered through a rustic moonshine filter. Every track here is like that, roaring into the 21st century sounding big, urgent, and huge, but so grounded in the local folk-blues tradition that each track seems to carry imprinted DNA that says boogie all over it. World boogie is coming? It's here, and these guys boogie like the world has no choice but to surrender to the fact. ~by Steve Leggett

World Boogie Is Coming

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James Luther Dickinson & North Mississippi Allstars - I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:51
Size: 98.1 MB
Styles: Hill country blues, Roots rock
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[5:35] 1. Money Talks
[3:55] 2. Ax Sweet Mama
[6:29] 3. Codine
[4:47] 4. Red Neck, Blue Collar
[4:56] 5. Kassie Jones, Pt. 1
[3:06] 6. Rooster Blues
[4:02] 7. Never Make Your Move Too Soon
[4:24] 8. Truck Drivin' Man
[5:33] 9. Down In Mississippi

Despite Memphis music enigma Jim Dickinson's long, winding, illustrious, and infamous musical career as a musician and producer, he never released a live in Memphis album. Until now that is. I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone fills that gap in his catalog. Recorded in 2006 at the New Daisy Theater on Beale Street in Memphis, the album pairs the music legend on piano and lead vocals with his kids' band, the North Mississippi Allstars (Luther Dickinson, guitar; Cody Dickinson, drums; Chris Chew, bass), and special guest Jimmy Davis on rhythm guitar and backing vocals in a riotous set of blues, R&B, and country covers played at maximum speed and volume. It was all captured in the moment -- without further window dressing -- by Kevin Houston. From the elder Dickinson's poignantly surreal poem that opens Sir Mack Rice's "Money Talks" (in which, at 90 mph, he discusses everything from prayer, George W. Bush, honey, bad whiskey, and money), the proceedings are off to an uproarious start. It's raw and non-stop. While everything here works exactly as it should, there are some real standouts. The snaky blues cover of Buffy Sainte Marie's "Codine" is among the most original readings of the tune ever, with ghostly piano and Luther's deep blues lead guitar. The rocked-up party blues in Furry Lewis' "Kassie Jones" is another. Things get country-fried on Bob Frank's "Red Neck, Blue Collar" and Terry Fell's anthem "Truck Drivin' Man." Closer "Down in Mississippi" features a smoking extended guitar break by Luther, who shines throughout. But the real star is the man the album is named after. His command of the proceedings is no less authoritative than Jerry Lee Lewis' and just as unhinged as Charlie Feathers'. A cursory listen will offer the mistaken impression that this is a glorified bar gig. That said, a slightly deeper one will yield proof of Dickinson's prophetic, historical genius: in his persona and practice, he embodies the crossroads of all American roots song forms, from folk and blues to R&B and rock. His advice for his sons -- ...It's okay to rush, but don't drag..." -- is proven here time and again. At a shade over 42 minutes, I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone is a concise yet fully fleshed, sweaty, grimy, gritty exercise in everything that is truly great about rock & roll. ~Thom Jurek

I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone mc
I'm Just Dead, I'm Not Gone zippy

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VA - Things About Comin' My Way: A Tribute To The Music Of The Mississippi Sheiks

Size: 155,7 MB
Time: 66:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2009
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Full

01. The North Mississippi Allstars - It's Backfirin' Now (3:59)
02. Ndidi Onukwulu - Things About Comin' My Way (4:58)
03. John Hammond - Stop And Listen (3:47)
04. Bruce Cockburn - Honey Babe Let The Deal Go Down (3:56)
05. Oh Susanna - Bootlegger's Blues (Arrangement By Van Dyke Parks) (3:43)
06. The Carolina Chocolate Drops - Sitting On Top Of The World (3:17)
07. Danny Barnes - Too Long (4:00)
08. Jim Byrnes - Jailbird Love Song (3:27)
09. Bill Frisell - That's It (3:10)
10. Madeleine Peyroux - Please Baby (4:11)
11. Kelly Joe Phelps - Livin' In A Strain (4:46)
12. Steve Dawson - Lonely One In This Town (3:39)
13. Geoff Muldaur & The Texas Sheiks - The World Is Going Wrong (3:08)
14. Del Rey - We Both Are Feeling Good Right Now (2:45)
15. Bob Brozman - Somebody's Gotta Help You (4:06)
16. The Sojourners - He Calls That Religion (4:00)
17. Robin Holcomb - I've Got Blood In My Eyes For You (5:21)

The Mississippi Sheiks were a short-lived but popular acoustic string band that recorded approximately 70 songs during the first half of the 1930s before receding into history. Built around guitarist/singer Walter Vinson and fiddler Lonnie Chatmon, with other musicians (notably Lonnie's guitarist brothers Bo Carter and Sam Chatmon), the Sheiks left their influence on numerous folk, country, blues, and even rock performers in later decades -- their best-known song, "Sitting on Top of the World," was recorded by a long list of artists including Howlin' Wolf, Ray Charles, Chet Atkins, Cream, Bob Dylan, and the Grateful Dead. For this tribute album, producer Steve Dawson gathered a cast of sympathetic artists to interpret songs associated with the group, giving them much leeway but keeping the proceedings from veering too far from the original spirit of the music. Dawson himself plays a variety of guitars on several tracks, and takes top billing on a perky version of "Lonely One in This Town," but largely stays behind the scenes so that the artists' personalities might meld with the new arrangements of this seven-plus-decades-old music. The performances range from the solo guitar of bluesman John Hammond and slide master Bob Brozman to the gospel of the Sojourners and the sultry, jazzy vocalizing of Madeleine Peyroux. The opening number, "It's Backfirin' Now," is given a rootsy jug band treatment by the North Mississippi Allstars and Bruce Cockburn, with trombone and Hammond organ among his accompaniment, brings a sweet and lazy New Orleans feel to "Honey Babe Let the Deal Go Down." It's appropriate that the Carolina Chocolate Drops -- perhaps the closest of contemporary bands in style to the Sheiks -- get to make "Sitting on Top of the World" their own: these African-American traditionalists have a deep understanding of, and innate camaraderie with, the Sheiks' music. Not surprisingly, Geoff Muldaur -- whose own lengthy catalog is filled with tunes that draw from the Sheiks' brand of old-timey string music -- and his own Texas Sheiks nail "The World Is Going Wrong." Even jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, whose eclecticism has always been his hallmark, finds common ground with the long-gone Sheiks, dueting with trombonist Steve Moore on "That's It," a good-time melody that manages to capture the essence of the Sheiks' sound while placing it squarely in today's more complex world. ~by Jeff Tamarkin

Things About Comin' My Way

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North Mississippi Allstars - The Early Years

Size: 101,0+125,8 MB
Time: 43:06+54:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Blues Rock, Southern Rock
Art: Front

CD 1:
01. 51 Phantom (3:16)
02. Snakes In My Bushes (3:43)
03. Sugartown (3:46)
04. Lord Have Mercy (5:25)
05. Storm (4:17)
06. Freedom Highway (3:15)
07. Circle In The Sky (3:31)
08. Ship (5:26)
09. Leavin' (3:13)
10. Up Over Yonder (3:22)
11. Mud (3:47)

CD 2:
01. Shake 'em On Down ( 4:07)
02. Drop Down Mama ( 4:38)
03. Po Black Maddie ( 4:32)
04. Skinny Woman ( 5:18)
05. Drinking Muddy Water ( 3:20)
06. Goin' Down South ( 6:09)
07. K. C. Jones (On The Road Again) ( 4:35)
08. Sitting On Top Of The World ( 2:40)
09. Someday Baby ( 2:29)
10. All Night Long (16:09)

Although they may mix elements of hip-hop, classic metal, and alternative rock into their repertoire, the North Mississippi Allstars are really a power blues trio whose members lean heavily on the kind of Mississippi folk-blues numbers they learned firsthand from the likes of R.L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Othar Turner, an approach that has given the NMA a solid grounding in local blues history as well as a solid sense of place. The two-disc The Early Years packages together the group's first two albums, 2000's Shake Hands with Shorty and 2001's 51 Phantom, and the two outings fit seamlessly together. Shake Hands is made up entirely of NMA versions of classic old blues numbers originally done by the likes of Fred McDowell ("Drop Down Mama," "Shake 'Em on Down," "Drinkin' Muddy Water," "Someday Baby"), Burnside ("Po Black Maddie," "Skinny Woman," "Goin' Down South"), Furry Lewis ("KC Jones"), and Kimbrough ("All Night Long"), and the local North Mississippi modal drone approach offers the Allstars a perfect springboard into a loose, ragged, but powerfully tight sound that somehow manages to seem both reverently traditional and completely contemporary at the same time. Phantom features mostly NMA originals (they do tackle versions of Kimbrough's "Lord Have Mercy" and Pops Staples' "Freedom Highway"), like the impressive "Snakes in My Bushes" and the ancient-sounding "Sugartown," that build on old blues templates until there is essentially no difference in tone or feel between the group's original songs and the blues covers they do. The North Mississippi Allstars seem to straddle two worlds with their sound, the old one with fife-and-drum bands playing "Sitting on Top of the World" and the new one of the 21st century with its drum machines, looped samples, and sharp edits. The Allstars make it all sound like one big muddy Mississippi world, and having the group's first two albums paired together like this just widens that world until it feels more than substantial.

The Early Years CD 1
The Early Years CD 2

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Anders Osborne & North Mississippi Allstars - Freedom & Dreams

Released: 2015
Size: 123.6 MB
Time: 53:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Styles: Rock
Art: Front

1. Away, Way Too Long [3:04]
2. Back Together [5:24]
3. Lonely Love [4:40]
4. Dyin' Days [4:10]
5. Shining (Spacedust) [4:33]
6. Brush Up Against You [7:16]
7. Annabel [4:01]
8. Katrina [5:01]
9. Kings and Peasants [5:40]
10. Many Wise Men [4:39]
11. Junco Parda [4:48]

Fans of roots music are in for a nice surprise with the release of a collaboration album between the North Mississippi Allstars and Anders Osborne, "Freedom & Dreams."

Branded as a release by North Mississippi Osborne, the album pairs to of the South's top guitarist, Hernando's Luther Dickinson and New Orleans' Osborne.

"Freedom and Dreams is extremely honest and captures NMO's relaxed chemistry so well, most of these songs did not even have a proper count off or beginning," said Dickinson in a release. " We were interested in combining Anders' singing and songwriting with NMA's groove and aesthetic to create something unique that neither of us could do without the other — a type of modern Southern folk rock."

Dickinson describes the Allstars' version of modern rock as "primitive modernism" that combines blues guitar with danceable beats, in attempt to make the music he learned from Hill County greats R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, more palatable to a younger generation.

Osborne, who was recently named the Crescent City's best guitarist by the readers of Offbeat Magazine for the third year in a row, fell under the spell of Bob Dylan, Ray Charles and other American musical icons as a teenager. Since relocating to New Orleans in 1985 he has distinguished himself as a songwriter — penning tunes for Keb' Mo', Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw (the number one hit "Watch the Wind Blow") and others — and singer of the highest caliber.

Freedom & Dreams

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