North Mississippi Allstars: Polaris

Having spent their first two records demonstrating their instrumental prowess, the members of North Mississippi Allstars dedicate their third, Polaris, to the art of expansion. The band doesn't deviate substantially from the rootsy sounds of its scorching 2000 blues-punk debut Shake Hands With Shorty or the mellower, jammier 2001 follow-up 51 Phantom, but as its title implies, Polaris explores opposites: the pop side of folk, the spiritual side of rock, and so on. Brothers Cody Dickinson on drums and Luther Dickinson on guitar–working with bassist Chris Chew and new second guitarist Duwayne Burnside–make broader use of studio augmentation on Polaris, while maintaining a live, improvisational base. The eclectic results are plain on the first track, "Eyes," which opens as raunchy, pounding Southern boogie before lightening into a soulful toe-tapper, then drifting into ethereal, jazzy blues. Throughout, Dickinson and Burnside's twin guitars snake around each other while the rhythm section stays relaxed–until the coda, when Cody Dickinson rips into high speed, pulling the rest of the Allstars in his wake. The next song, a cover of Junior Kimbrough's brightly needy "Meet Me In The City," slows to a gently loping pace, which Polaris locks into for a while before pepping back up with the poppy anthems "Otay" and "Kids These Daze." Both are worthy efforts, but tight-and-catchy isn't yet North Mississippi Allstars' strong suit. Better are gritty backcountry ballads like "The One Thing" and "Hard To Please," which are enriched by the group's multi-tracking effects and the addition of piano and strings. The creativity of the arrangements mutes North Mississippi Allstars' natural tendency to stomp its way in and out of jams, and has the effect of drawing attention back to the distinctive, smoky tone of Dickinson's guitar, which remains the band's edge over a legion of roots-rock also-rans.