bartblog 420.1.3
I’ve been seeing the North Mississippi Allstars for over a decade now since I myself began playing guitar after watching their Keep On Marchin' DVD release. I had the good fortune of seeing them with almost the original lineup ,minus Duwayne Burnside, with Chris Chew on the bass. The trio of the Dickinson Bros plus Chris Chew, simply put, was powerful. Chew’s vocals and gospel feel intertwined with the enthralling endless hill country groove always made for a pleasurable listening experience. I preface my review with these words on previous incarnations of NMA because since Chris Chew has left there was an undeniable void left in the band that although wasn’t detrimental to their sound as a whole,but was noticeable...until now.
The show up in Cohoes, NY on November 5, 2021 was the first time since the “Chew Years” that I really felt the full potential of NMA. The additions of Jesse Williams on the bass and Lamar Williams Jr on vocals has taken some time to fit into the mix. Considering the pandemic and being off the road for a year I’d say it took an appropriate amount of time for this group to settle into their own. Worth the wait, every friggin second. The formula I’ve concocted is as so…(Jesse) Williams + (Lamar) Williams = 1 Chris Chew. Jesse Williams, simply put, is a musician’s musician. The man could replicate most any sound on his four strings. Then give him the Mississippi-Pimp-Stick-Diddley-Bow and prepare to be thrown down on your ass as you watch him play this thing with such ease like Mickey Mantle swinging a bat. Listen to any recording of “Shake(Yo Mama)” from this tour and zero in on Jesse’s bass solos. HO LEE SHITE. Of course the bass playing is only one half of the equation when it comes to filling in Chews Shoes. Queue Lamar Williams Jr son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams. This man has the sweet sultry vocal tones, and he’s extremely aware of the tune. He serves the sound the best way he can, with his voice. It’s enough to take you to church any day of the week. I’d like to direct you to the version of “You Got To Move” from this Cohoes show to get a clue of what I’m talking about. Followed up by the NMA tune written by Jim Dickinson “I’d Love To Be A Hippy” once more Williams’ vocals shine on a tune that was once a Chris Chew standard. The Williams’ “brothers” inclusion to NMA has lifted them off into and beyond their twenty-fifth year on the road as a touring act.
As is the case with most touring acts these days, tour to tour there will be little to no change in the overall performance night in and night out, this has left me with an often un-inspired taste in my mouth. After an unforeseen pandemic hit and put the world on pause the music and entertainment industries took massive hits. In my opinion this placed an unfamiliar strain on some of the touring acts who have become so accustomed to life on the road playing to adoring crowds who would move heaven and earth to see them. As much as people try to push to get back to “normal” there’s an indisputable unfilled space as a result of this pandemic. People don’t jump to take a chance on some live music like once before, people are looking for the safe bets nowadays. For the first time there are acts who once served the sound every time they went on stage and now scrambled to get back on the road not for the music but to get back to “normal” which for them at this point meant logistically putting together an entire tour during one of the most uneasy times in most of our lives. All this to help us, themselves, and also get their crews and venue employees back to work in an attempt to achieve a sense of normalcy. It may just be myself but I've noticed a severe lack of inspiration in some of the live shows I've seen since returning back to in person concerts. I enjoy seeing musicians push the limits of their own music and bring new flavors to it all. Try something new. Take a chance. Serve the sound.
This brings us to the core of the North Mississippi Allstars, Luther & Cody Dickinson without whom there would be no NMA. Two of the hardest working musicians in the business today bar none. I’m happy to report that even after a decade of seeing the Dickinsons as the North Mississippi Allstars I don’t think I’ve ever felt more inspired from a show than I did that Friday night at the Cohoes Music Hall. Even from my last time catching them this past summer they’ve made enormous strides. Luther is just a mastermind of tone and staying abstract in a scene where it’s easy to fall into the pits of conformity. Truly a breath of fresh air in a world of Instagram shredders, and youtube know-it-alls. Throughout it all NMA has stayed true to their roots paying homage to their past all the while creating a new primitive sound. While other touring acts might’ve found themselves with extra time on their hands Luther, Cody and their new additions were WORKIN! From remote locations they recorded their upcoming album Set Sail slated for an early 2022 release on New West Records.
They played some of the new tunes that night. Opening with “Unmarked Grave” a swampy, dark Staples Singers-esque song that sweats like a chubby kid who just learned they’re running the mile in gym class today. “Set Sail” is the title track from the new album, and this one is paving the way for a new brand of NMA songs. Luther alluded to the way how Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia would work the music to fit the words. This is a feat much easier said than done, hence why the Grateful Dead catalog is so sacred, especially the Hunter/Garcia tunes. However this new tune “Set Sail” is a prime example of matching the music to the words not the other way around. It’s got that gritty Mississippi riff to kick it off that flows with the vocal line, but what’s different is how this song blossoms and opens up as it goes on. Most songs will follow a simple map point A to point B with minimal obstructions and because of that the ride may get you where you gotta go but with no attraction along the way. “Set Sail” follows a different map we get from point A to point B but this time we’re taking the scenic route and it’s BEAUTIFUL. There’s a lake over to the right, as we come up and over a peak on the road it reveals a garden of colors unknown to the crayola 64-pack. All this description through a simple song. I don’t get these visual interpretations of a song often, but when I do the music is so INSPIRED you can’t help but feel it. Although not one off of the upcoming record the title track of their last release “Up & Rolling” has taken on a bit of a makeover since its initial conception. The interplay between Luther, Cody, Jesse is phenomenal, with a very heady “Mountain Jam” tease during the latter part of the tune and the way they bring it right back to the main melody is strong and intense. One more unreleased tune from “Set Sail” they played was “Outside Child”. Reminiscent of “If You Want Me To Stay” by Sly & The Family Stone this is another example of the music accompanying the words. Starts off with tribal vibes, an excellent example of the “less is more” approach executed perfectly. As is the trend with these new tunes, this one also grows into a splendid piece, free flowing, knows no bounds and then like a freight train meeting an immovable object when they come back to the head it’s HEAVY.
Some of the classic NMA tunes played were “Shake Em On Down”, “All Night Long”, “Meet Me In The City”, “Shake”, “Goin Down South”. There were some fresh takes on some NMA standards. For instance instead of the entire Po Black Maddie medley they went with “Skinny Woman” which still retained that iconic middle major back and forth, Luther just hypnotizing with the slide like few other players can which as always leads to that straight up gangsta transition back to the verse. “Ship” is another NMA original that I for one am happy has made its way back into the rotation. With Lamar Williams’ vocals calling and responding to Luther’s it really gives the song some new life.
GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME! It’s not a secret that Cody Dickinson is one of the most talented drummers out on the scene right now. If you follow Cody on social media you’ve probably been made aware at how much practice this man put into his craft over the pandemic, many a livestream posted of him shedding and working on his chops. Well...it paid off...BIG TIME. Cody is one of the most proficient drummers that I know or have seen. Always striving to improve and his ability to adapt with whoever is playing with them. This is also a testament to the sturdiness of the current pocket between him and Jesse Williams. It’s rare I find myself describing someone's drumming as “tasteful”, that’s a term typically reserved for lead players or just not an acoustic instrument such as the drums. Cody’s playing is TASTY AF. Check out the “Up Over Yonder” from this show and listen to the simple cymbal play he uses. He utilizes the toys he has to perfection.
Now we get to the highlight of the show in my opinion. They saved the best for last. That is one of my favorite songs they do, “Drop Down Mama”, a tune old as time but the boys do it so much justice. Cody and Jesse form an almost disco-like pocket that's intoxicating. This tune is an absolute clinic in hitting the vibe, and clicking on multiple cylinders. This song ends and while I normally have see them take this right into “Someday Baby” this time Cody started wailing on his snare an then Luther and Jesse vamping on what I initially thought to be the “Sugartown” riff but I was shortly corrected when Lamar Williams Jr came in with that opening line “Don’t care how long you’re gone, don’t care how long you stay…” This made me realize we were in for a new version of “Trouble No More” by the Allman Brothers Band, a mashup of that and Mississippi Fred’s “Someday Baby” , my lord this hit like a mofo! One more prime example of working a classic out and working the music to these words that have been sung countless times, but never like this. It was simply the icing on top of what was one of the most gourmet, delicious cakes I’ve ever been fortunate enough to indulge upon. As I mentioned, the key here is INSPIRATION. No doubt in my mind NMA at this moment in time is H-O-T...HOT! Their playing is as inspired as I’ve ever seen it, I consider myself lucky to be able to witness such a great act and to learn from such genuine, amazing individuals. Go get your tickets to a show and see these guys ASAP! Their new album Set Sail will be out streaming January 28, 2022. Pre-order your physical copy today nmallstars.com
Listen to the 11.5.21 show from Cohoes NY today on archive!
https://archive.org/details/nma2021-11-05.ca14.flac16/nma2021-11-05d1t02.flac