Up And Rolling
New West, 2019
8/10
A long running outfit spearheaded by the brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, North Mississippi Allstars return with luminaries like Mavis Staples, Jason Isbell, and Sharde Thomas, among others, to help flesh out this communal, spirited effort.
“Call That Gone” starts with strong percussion that leads into the glorious dual gender vocals as the tune gets bluesy and soulful with swampiness, and “Up And Rolling” follows with a calm demeanor as the setting takes on folk qualities with much playfulness and plenty of harmonies.
Near the middle, “Peaches” offers intricate guitar work in a southern tinted affair with funk nods, while “Mean Old World”, which features Jason Isbell and Duane Betts, recruits some ruggedness in the cautious rocker where the guitar work appears boundless.
Near the end, “Living Free” gets all sorts of melodic with organs, and “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” emits gospel sounds in a country way with Cedric Burnside lending a hand. “Otha’s Bye Bye Baby” exits the affair quick and raw with a bare recording of demo’ed vocals from Otha Turner and proficient guitar from Luther.
Inspired by photos Luther Dickinson found that date back over 20 years (many of which are included in the extensive packaging), Up & Rolling unfolds almost as if a family outing, as NMA deliver another batch of their southern heritage with warmth, grit and precision.
Travels well with: Patrick Sweany- Daytime Turned To Nighttime; Black Pistol Fire- Deadbeat Graffiti