This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
The North Mississippi Allstars do not lack for guiding lights.
Singer-guitarist Luther Dickinson and his drumming brother Cody are the sons of Memphis legend Jim Dickinson. They grew up steeped in the primal Delta blues of local juke-joint heroes like R.L. Burnside — whose son Duwayne is their new guitarist. With this pedigree, you might take these guys for derivative, second-generation purists. But on their third disc Polaris, the Allstars prove once again they follow their own star. Their most varied and ambitious disc yet, this dozen-tracker finds the band chewing up and spitting out musical styles, sounds and influences like so much greasy barbecue. Delta blues, funk, sacred steel, Memphis soul, southern rock, hip-hop, country, jam-rock, Jimi Hendrix, Big Star, electronica — it’s all here, seamlessly integrated into hip-shaking gems that find the perfect balance between grit and groove, blues guitar and beatbox, and Americana and the Allmans.
