Jungle Jim & The Voodoo Tiger
Memphis soul meets Mississippi juke joint in the music of down-home piano legend James Luther Dickinson. Though Dickinson has had more credits as a producer--for the Replacements and his sons in the North Mississippi Allstars--and as a session musician (for the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Ry Cooder), he brings that same rough-hewn passion at the expense of polish to his own music. The album-opening "Red Neck, Blue Collar" is a populist anthem, while the balladry of "Violin Bums," "Out of Blue," and "Somewhere Down the Road" plumbs the depths of Dickinson's soulfulness. From the greasy groove of "Love Bone" to the sounds of the Brazilian street corner on the closing "Samba de Orfeo," Dickinson and band (featuring Allstar sons Luther on guitar and Cody on drums) cover a lot of territory, with arrangements augmented by fiddle, baritone sax, and chorus harmonies. Though Dickinson didn't write any of the material, he puts his musical signature on all of it.--Don McLeese