North Mississippi Allstars - 'Electric Blue Watermelon'

North Mississippi Allstars
Electric Blue Watermelon [320k MP3]

Track Listing:

01. Mississippi Bollweevil 2:48
02. No Mo 4:56
03. Teasin' Brown 3:37
04. Moonshine 4:16
05. Hurry Up Sunrise 4:56
06. Stompin' My Foot 3:37
07. Bang Bang Lulu 4:02
08. Deep Blue Sea 3:52
09. Mean Ol' Wind Died Down 7:21
10. Horseshoe 5:02
11. Bounce Ball 4:43

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Amazon.com
Blues revivalists? Jam band? Power trio? Psychedelic tripsters? Southern rockers? While previous releases have found the pride of North Mississippi exploring various manifestations of their musical identity, on Electric Blue Watermelon they pull everything together and bring their artistic progression full circle. While acknowledging the seminal influence of Delta bluesman Charley Patton ("Mississippi Bollweevil") and fife master Otha Turner ("Teasin' Brown," "Bounce Ball"), the album finds common spirit in contemporary hip-hop on "No Mo" and "Stompin' My Foot," with guest rapper Al Kapone helping the band bridge past and future. Lucinda Williams teams with guitarist Luther Dickinson for a playful duet on "Hurry Up Sunrise," while steel guitarist Robert Randolph and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band extend the album's aural palette. Over the course of almost seven and a half minutes, "Mean Ol' World Wind Down" takes the listener on a musical journey from fife-and-drum roots through Bo Diddley insistence to Allman Brothers expansiveness. No matter how far they extend their musical vistas, the Allstars are always bringing it all back home. --Don McLeese