Luther Dickinson

Dead Blues Vol 1.

Strolling Bones/New West

Willie Dixon’s “Don’t Judge the Book By Its Cover” applies to this new project by Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars – Dead Blues Vol 1.  These songs don’t sound at all like the Grateful Dead versions of the blues songs that the band covered. They don’t even sound like died-in-the-wool blues songs. Instead, they veer more toward Memphis funk and jazz than blues and folk. Some of the arrangements make the songs  (most of which we can sing the lyrics to in the shower) unrecognizable. They are tunes from Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bo Diddley, the Mississippi Sheiks, Willie Dixon, and other well-known writers. Some people don’t think of the Grateful Dead as a blues band, but yours truly has a well-worn cassette of The Dead backing Etta James at a New Year’s Eve show at Winterland, where the iconic vocalist proclaimed, “The Grateful Dead are the greatest blues band in the world.” Hyperbole aside, blues, especially during the Pig Pen era of the band, were as prevalent as their famed psychedelic jams.

The album features vocals from the remarkable Datrian Johnson, introduced to Dickinson by John Medeski. Johnson’s phrasing is much closer to a jazz singer than a blues singer. Also contributing are his NMA bandmates Cody Dickinson (drums) and Ray Ray Holloman (pedal steel, bass) (Eminem), as well as Steve Selvidge of the Hold Steady (space funk guitar), Paul Taylor of New Memphis Colorways (cajon, omnichord, bass), and Phil Lesh’s son Grahame Lesh (lead guitar). The ‘new’ Memphis Horns of saxophonist Art Edmaiston and trumpeter Marc Franklin, along with Boo Mitchell on synths and Jesse Williams (bass), join in as well. Luther plays Guitar, Horner bass, Wurlitzer, synths, and Melodica. That instrumentation alone tells you this is not your typical folk-blues record. Configurations vary on each track.

The genesis of the project dates to the late Phil Lesh, who invited Luther and Cody to join the Phil & Friends collective back in 2013. Having scant background on The Dead, Luther quickly learned about how many vintage blues songs the band had played. Luther says, “…This record reflects Phil’s wild musical spirit and approach to re-interpretation.” Originally, Dickinson began with an instrumental album written on bass and keyboards, but soon brought in family members and friends to flesh out the tracks. Johnson was the last to arrive, and he changed the whole direction of the project.

Kicking off is Blind Lemon Jefferson’s “One Kind Favor.” Johnson’s confident, commanding vocal soars above the funky, horn-slathered accompaniment. Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love” strays from the trademark Bo Diddley beat. In fact, the rhythm owes to Taylor’s cajon, while the music swirls around dizzyingly via a combination of keys, synths, and Selvidge’s space funk guitar. A smaller cast renders “Sitting on Top of the World” similarly, featuring Grahame Lesh’s lead guitar. “King Bee” may be the most unrecognizable in a program of unrecognizable songs, where only the lyrics remain true to the original. Here we do hear Cody’s drums and Holloman’s inventive pedal steel, along with Luther’s trademark slide. These four musicians also deliver a funked-up “Mystery Train,” which thrives on the pedal steel and Taylor’s Omnichord as well as Luther’s array of instruments in one of Johnson’s most potent vocals.

Blues fans may be less familiar with “Minglewood Blues,” which appeared on the Grateful Dead’s debut album as “New, New Minglewood Blues.” It traces to Jerry Garcia’s love of jug band music. Luther has Cody on drums and Taylor on guitar, exclaiming, “The ‘bridge/middle 8’ is one of my favorite sections of the album and the instrumental outro features Paul and Cody totally digging in and buggin’ out!”  The final three songs, blues standards, are completely twisted and turned out in these arrangements – “I Just Want to Make Love to You,” “Little Red Rooster,” and “High Heeled Sneakers.”  Trust me, you have never heard any of these songs treated this way, and this is only Volume 1!

• Jim Hynes

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