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- Date Released: April 22, 2003
- Genre: Rock/Pop
- Style: Jam Rock
- Label: ATO Records
The Dickinson brothers set the controls for the heart of pop, NMA-style.
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We Say...
There were those who bristled at Polaris, North Mississippi Allstars’ third album, upon its release in 2003. For those who’d pegged North Mississippi Allstars — not unreasonably, on the form they’d established — as earnest, bluesy noodlers, pursuing the tradition of the cosmic jam handed down from the Grateful Dead via the likes of Phish, it was doubtless a shock. Polaris has tunes, a discernible sense of humour and a radiant aura of sun-spangled optimism. For these reasons and others, Polariswas the best thing they’d done up to this point, and by a considerable margin.
Indulgence in armchair psychology is usually best avoided, but Polaris sounds like the point at which Luther and Cody Dickinson, the brothers at the heart of NMA, decided it was okay to fully embrace the family heritage — a startling number of the influences permeating Polaris were records produced by Luther and Cody’s father, Jim Dickinson. The swinging version of Junior Kimbrough’s “Meet Me in the City” and NMA’s own collaboration with their father, “Kids These Daze," are unmistakably evocative of the Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me. “Otay” is a sweet, fragile power-pop ballad that wouldn’t have sounded askance on Big Star’s Third. It’s not even that much of a stretch to hear something of Green On Red’s Here Come the Snakes in the hungover balladry of “Time for the Sun to Rise," or the bluesy plod of “Never in All My Days”.
NMA telegraphed their intentions with Polaris — recruiting Oasis’s Noel Gallagher as a backing vocalist is not the act of someone courting obscurity. The result, however, was a giant leap not just in accessibility, but quality, and a heartening affirmation that the two concepts are not necessarily mutually exclusive. -
They Say...
North Mississippi Allstars return with Polaris, their most ambitious album yet. They added Duwayne Burnside on guitar and vocals, and brought an even more eclectic group of songs to the table. Starting with the soulful rocker "Eyes," they slide right into a fabulous version of Junior Kimbrough's "Meet Me in the City." "Conan" starts with nice fingerpicked acoustic guitars before moving into and out of a country boogie before the guitar solo. Luther Dickinson's meaty slide is featured on all over the place, often recalling Duane Allman. Pegged as roots rockers and loosely identified with the jam-band scene, North Mississippi Allstars might surprise some people with tunes like "Otay" and "Time for the Sun to Rise," which are extremely well-produced pure pop tunes. The Dickinson brothers have done a great job with production all the way around: crisp and clean without sounding glossy, and a rich, warm tone throughout. The band seems equally at ease doing greasy country blues or bright shiny pop, making it all seem effortless (or like on "Be So Glad" where 95-year-old Othar Turner's fife mixes with drum machines and Cody Burnside's rapping, bridging three generations and at least two styles of music). Things end with a hidden track called "Goin Home," an up-tempo instrumental that recalls the best elements of the Allman Brothers Band. With Polaris, North Mississippi Allstars have turned in their best set yet, showing that they're at the vanguard of a new Southern rock.
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| 01. |  |
Eyes |
4:05 |
|
| 02. | |
Meet Me in the City |
4:07 |
|
| 03. | |
Conan |
4:04 |
|
| 04. | |
All Along |
2:44 |
|
| 05. | |
Otay |
2:57 |
|
| 06. | |
Kids These Daze |
2:58 |
|
| 07. | |
One to Grow On |
4:44 |
|
| 08. | |
Never in All My Days |
2:52 |
|
| 09. | |
Bad Bad Pain |
2:43 |
|
| 10. | |
Polaris |
3:22 |
|
| 11. | |
Time for the Sun to Rise |
4:17 |
|
| 12. | |
Be So Glad |
6:10 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 45:03 Total Length
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Credits
- Shawn Lane - Guitar // Shawn Lane - Guest Appearance // Scott Carter - Drum Technician // Jim Dickinson - Piano // Jim Dickinson - Mellotron // Jim Dickinson - Omnichord // Jim Dickinson - Fuzz-wah // Jim Dickinson - Guest Appearance // Susan Marshall - Vocals // Susan Marshall - Guest Appearance // Rebecca Evans Russell - Vocals // Rebecca Evans Russell - Guest Appearance // Jim Spake - Sax (Baritone) // Jim Spake - Guest Appearance // Noel Gallagher - Vocals // Noel Gallagher - Guest Appearance // Steve Selvidge - Guitar // Steve Selvidge - Vocals // Steve Selvidge - Guest Appearance // Othar Turner - Fife // Othar Turner - Vocals // Othar Turner - Guest Appearance // Danny Clinch - Photography // Jimmy Hollingsworth - Guitar Technician // Jon Bailey - Engineer // Duwayne Burnside - Guitar // Duwayne Burnside - Vocals // Duwayne Burnside - Group Member // North Mississippi Allstars - Main Performer // Chris Chew - Bass // Chris Chew - Vocals // Chris Chew - Group Member // Luther Dickinson - Guitar // Luther Dickinson - Vocals // Luther Dickinson - Toy Drums // Luther Dickinson - Group Member // Cody Dickinson - Organ // Cody Dickinson - Guitar // Cody Dickinson - Piano // Cody Dickinson - Drums // Cody Dickinson - Vocals // Cody Dickinson - Horn Arrangements // Cody Dickinson - String Arrangements // Cody Dickinson - Roland TR-808 // Cody Dickinson - Powerbook // Cody Dickinson - Group Member // John C. Stubblefield - Double Bass // Emily Philpott - Design // Cody Burnside - Rap // Cody Burnside - Guest Appearance // Jimmy Crostwait - Vocals // Jimmy Crostwait - Guest Appearance // Virginia Cupples - French Horn // Virginia Cupples - Guest Appearance // Dickinson Brothers - Producer // Dickinson Brothers - Mixing // Carwyn Ellis - Organ (Hammond) // Carwyn Ellis - Wurlitzer // Carwyn Ellis - Guest Appearance // Heather Trussell - Violin // Heather Trussell - Guest Appearance // Tower of Sour - Trumpet // Tower of Sour - Saxophone // Tower of Sour - Guest Appearance // Diden Somel - Viola // Diden Somel - Guest Appearance // B. Gokham Somel - Cello // B. Gokham Somel - Guest Appearance // Tom Keckler - Guitar Technician // Michael Scott - Bassoon // Jonathan Kirkscey - Cello // Jonathan Kirkscey - Guest Appearance // Brandon Raines - Guitar Technician // Patrick Plunk - Clarinet // Patrick Plunk - Guest Appearance // Robyn Oakes - Oboe // Robyn Oakes - Guest Appearance
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