North Mississippi All Stars- World Boogie Is Coming

World Boogie Is Coming is the new studio album from the North Mississippi All Stars, a band that features Luther and Cody Dickinson who are the sons of legendary Memphis session musician and producer Jim Dickinson. Luther has recently expanded his profile during a stint with The Black Crowes and he made a big impact on their Warpaint album with his languorous guitar lines.

World Boogie is a low down dirty sonic tribute to the blues, the blues that came crawling out of the delta. It's hot and sweaty and it captures that rawness in a studio setting. It features some great guest appearances, Robery Plant blows ferocious harp on the first two tracks, the spirit of T Model Ford, Junior Kimbraugh and R.L Burnside are the backbone of the album. This album is a tribute to not only the sound but the spirit of those Saturday nights pounding the dirt in sweaty juke joints along the Mississippi river. The album kicks off with the low rumbling JR with Cody Dickinson showing some amazing dexterity on the drums. Robert Plant conjours up the spirit with his harp playing, slow and wafting like it's ascending from the river itself. Luther is a great slide player, the bends and twists each note stretching it and casting it off in all directions, sometimes bringing it home other times letting it drift off into the ether. Goat Meat has a crisp funkiness and some fiery harp blowing from Robert Plant, the old chestnut Rollin and Tumblin sounds like it's party time but it's a unique version, it's distorted and rumbling which gives it a darker feel. In the break the thumping bass drum is matched by the acoustic blues stylings of Luther who takes it via the backwoods.

Boogie captures that the feeling of John Lee Hooker, stripped back but with great presence, the vocals are distorted which adds a fiery layer to the song. The R.L Burnside track Snake Drive is given a great treatment, with electronic loops and a pounding rhythm it's a tribute to Mississippi, "Mississippi came her to party"! It also has the immortal line "if you let the devil drive his gonna want a ride". The Junior Kimbraugh song Meet Me In The City takes the temperature down a little, it's got a gentle relaxed flow, the Bukka White tune World Boogie has a distinct southern rock flavour but with a defiant stripped back veneer. Goin To Brownsville digs deep into the canon, it's slow burn opening reminiscent of the Stones during their Let It Bleed period. The beauty of this album is that it captures that raw spirit of the blues, there is little polish exhibited. It's unrestrained and a passionate tribute that flawlessly played, it displays a similar ethos to Jack White who in his interpretation of the blues stripped it back, allowed the drums to take a prominent place in the rhythm. The Dickinson brothers find a happy middle ground with plenty of room for Luther to display his virtuosity.