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Music CD - North Mississippi Allstars: Hernando
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Music CD: Hernando
Artist: North Mississippi Allstars
List Price: $15.98
Our Price: $10.37
Your Save: $ 5.61 ( 35% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Songs of the South
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Tracks:
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1. Shake (Yo Mama)
2. Keep The Devil Down
3. Soldier
4. Eaglebird
5. I'd Love To Be Happy
6. Mizzip
7. Blow Out
8. Come Go With Me
9. Rooster's Blues
10. Take Your Time, Rodney
11. Long Way From Home
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0800314901020
Label: Songs of the South
Manufacturer: Songs of the South
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Songs of the South
Release Date: 2008-01-22
Studio: Songs of the South
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: They just get a little better every time
Comment: This a well balanced, recorderd and sweet sounding disc by the all stars.
The song writing and arrangeing has matured greatly. Support the all stars ont his one, it's pleasure to this kind of American music still being made.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Allstars' Greatest to Date. Essential.
Comment: It is not a secret to anyone familiar with this band that their best work has been and is created on stage in front of an audience night after night. Who I consider to be the modern day equivalent to the Jimi Hendrix Experience or Cream, these three guys make up arguably one of the best improvisation trios around today. Maybe one of the best American rock 'n' roll trios in the history of the genre. Their musical interaction is hardly ever short of impressive, and I contend that they are one of the most exciting acts touring today.
That being said, their track record for making studio albums is less than inspiring. Their first release, "Shake Hands with Shorty," offers a track list of classic Hill Country blues standards that have become staples in the band's live shows. Unfortunately, the track list isn't enough to carry the album, as it suffers from over production, excessive overdubs, and lackluster performances compared to their live renditions of the same songs.
Their next release, "51 Phantom," was a definite improvement in production and in studio performance over the first album, but the sophomore effort is quite unbalanced. It seems to be a hodgepodge assemblage of classic Hill Country tunes (Lord Have Mercy), straight ahead blues rock (Sugartown, 51 Phantom), jam band exploration (Ship), electric folk (Leavin,' Storm), and loud, unruly metal (Mud). Needless to say, it is apparent when you listen to this album that unity was not something the band was striving for on this record.
"Polaris," the band's third release, is generally excepted by the majority of their fans as the disc best left in the shrink wrap, as the band ignores all the aspects of their playing and songwriting that make them unique. While there are a few forgotten gems on the disc, the album is a mostly a collection of pop/modern rock pieces that would likely make the average Nickelback or John Mayer fan wet in the underpants.
"Electric Blue Watermelon" was the next release. With guest artists on many of the tracks, this album does not have the feel of a North Mississippi Allstars performance throughout. It's nice to hear the country side of the Allstars on a few tracks, and the album contains some songs that became instant classics in the live setting. Overall though, "Electric Blue Watermelon" falls under the category of "an okay album."
"Mississippi Folk Music - Volume One" was a nice acoustic recording, but acoustic music just doesn't showcase the band in their true element.
With this history of recorded output, I wasn't sure what to expect out of "Hernando." The unpredictability and lackluster nature of their previous releases had me skeptical. But my fears appear to be unfounded after listening to this album numerous times. The album does not lack unity, a good set of songs, or quality performances. The only thing it lacks is a bad cut.
The opening track, "Shake," is a foot-stomping Allstars original based primarily on a static Ab7 chord, sounding like it could have been penned by one of their Hill Country Blues mentors. The modulating guitar riff that glues together "Keep the Devil Down" sounds like something that Jimi Hendrix would have written during his "Cry of Love" period. "Soldier," the band's musical tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, showcases Luther Dickinson's ability to play inspiring, psychedelic solos that encompass his blues influences and 60's rock influences. "Eaglebird" opens with a Zoso-era Zeppelin type lick and segues seamlessly into a John Lee Hooker style boogie groove. Instead of the momentum killing ballad that most bands seem forced to throw in after four heavily rocking tracks, the North Mississippi Allstars slow things down with "I'd Love to Be a Hippy." Featuring one of Chris Chew's greatest vocal performances, this slow blues not only has great lyrics but also a guitar solo that Luther Dickinson is able to channel the likes of Wes Montgomery and Albert King during a single chorus. "Mizzip," Cody Dickinson's compositional contribution to "Hernando," brings the album's overall tempo back up to speed with a song that can be best described by the word "fun." Keeping up with the `50s/60's feel of "Mizzip," "Blow Out" is a rockabilly romp that clocks in well under the two minute mark. Luther's solo proves that he has heard a Chuck Berry record or two, as he nails the `50's rock `n' roll guitar style perfectly. "Come with Me," takes the mellow approach to Mississippi blues-rock, "Rooster's Blues" takes the heavy approach, and "Take Yo' Time, Rodney" finds a great middle ground between the sounds of the previous two. The closing track, "Long Way from Home," is an earthy, mellow end to a predominantly guttural album. With a sound similar to a ballad by The Doors, Luther Dickinson provides some of his most exploratory soloing on the album.
While I have never had a problem calling the North Mississippi Allstars a great band, this is the first album they've recorded in the studio that I feel comfortable calling a great album.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Straight up rocks
Comment: Saw these guys in Champaign at the Wall 2 Wall guitar festival, and they tore the place up. I had high expectations for this album, and they've been met entirely. Everyone in the band kills on their respective instrument, with good vocals to boot. Really need to see them live again.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Deserving of Recognition
Comment: A friend in Georgia introduced me to the music of the North Mississippi Allstars some years ago when he put Shake Hands With Shorty in the CD player. I thought it was just OK at the time but good enough to give the band another shot. Hernando has received some favorable press since it was recently released so it is with this CD I decided to listen to them once again.
Well, the verdict is in. North Mississippi Allstars have proven to me that they are a band worthy of wider recognition. I don't know about all those industry references to swamp blues. I think that is just an easy allusion to their geographic origins and a simple way to categorize their music. Let's just say they do have a rather unique approach to what I'd just prefer to call blues rock.
After several listens, I still don't hear the five-star level of music that seems to be reviewers' consensus but I do hear a lot to like. My favorites are the driving opening cut Shake; the bluesy Keep The Devil Down; the humorous I'd Love To Be A Hippy; the hard-hitting Rooster's Blues; and the continually changing tempo of Take Yo Time, Rodney.
So if you like your rock and roll supercharged with a dose of the blues and you haven't heard NMA yet, then you should consider giving this a listen. If you need a point of comparison, about the closest one I can make is to pre-commercial ZZ Top.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Stays true to form
Comment: These guys keep turning out their take on Mississippi blues.
Fine playing; no frills.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Combine the fatback guitar tone of Eric Clapton during his Cream days with the slap-back rhythms of the delta, and you've got the spontaneous combustion that fires through the best of Hernando. After excursions into psychedelic jamming, this Mississippi trio returns to its roots, titling the CD after its hometown and drawing deeply from blues and early rock & roll. The results showcase the virtuosity of guitarist Luther Dickinson more prominently than ever, though drummer and brother Cody takes a vocal on "Mizzip," a celebration of good times in their home state, and bassist Chris Chew sings "I Would Love to Be a Hippy," where the borderline novelty lyrics contrast with the sweet subtlety of Luther's guitar. Producer-pianist-patriarch Jim Dickinson lets the interplay develop organically. While the first four cuts bring out the band's juke-joint best, the aptly titled "Long Way from Home," a harmony-laden ballad, shows that the Allstars still have fresh territory to explore. --Don McLeese
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