Shake Hands With Shorty

North Mississippi Allstars

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Tone Cool
• ASIN: B00004T0EE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,144 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2000
Powered by producer Jim Dickinson's sons Luther and Cody, this trio brings the hard-driving Mississippi hill-country style of blues-boogie to the jam-band generation. What's amazing is how they are able to stay true to the spirit of the blues perfected by idols (and neighbors) such as Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside while advancing the style in fresh and thrilling ways. --Marc Greilsamer

Amazon.com
What is the sound of one blues exploding? It is the North Mississippi Allstars, one of the most exciting bands to emerge from the South in a long, long time. This is Black Flag if its members were Fred McDowell, R. L. Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, and Otha Turner. Guest stars would include Duane Allman, Captain Beefheart, and Howlin' Wolf. Luther Dickinson plays guitar like an octogenarian bluesman on his first amphetamine rush; his brother Cody drums hard, like a Keith Moon born and bred in Mississippi (their dad is famed producer/musician Jim Dickinson). Linking the two is Chris Chew, who spits out bass fat and heavy. Their music rockets from the rural backwoods to the laser CD player like a jack on a jenny. Songs that evolved through the last century are given new life, ensuring their relevance to another generation. World Boogie is upon us. --Robert Gordon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most exciting rock/blues band in years, May 17, 2000

By	Alain Rozan (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

The North Mississippi All Stars accomplish on this exquisite album what Elvis Presley did on his Sun Sessions; a perfect fusion of black and white music styles. The difference is that whereas Elvis merged the blues with 50's country and pop , the All Stars merge the blues with rock'n roll as it has evolved since Elvis "invented" it on those Sun sessions. One can hear traces of modern country, 60's rock and even hip hop rythms on the first cut, Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Shake'em down". The most amazing thing about this CD is that none of the songs are originals. They are all covers of great blues classics by Mississippi Fred McDowell, R.L. Burnside or Junior Kimbaugh and yet, they sound nothing like the originals. Another common trait with the King's Sun recordings. It is no accident that two of the band members are relatives (sons?) of one of the greatest southern American musician and producer, Jim Dickinson. These guys obviously know their roots.The guitar playing is stunning and mixes electric and accoustic in perfect harmony. This is music at its best. Raw, gritty, creative, fun, deep...superb.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An All Star Performance, March 3, 2002

By	Brian D. Rubendall (Oakton, VA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I took a chance and purchased "Shake Hands With Shorty" not knowing very much about The North Mississippi All Stars and their music. Once I got used to their style I was absolutely blown away. The album is simply the best fusion of rock and blues music since the early heydey of Led Zeppelin. All of the disc's ten tracks are strong, so it's difficult to select favorites, but "Goin' Down South," "K.C. Jones" and the epic "All Night Long" really stand out. The lengthy guitar interlude in "All Night Long" actually made me wonder if I was listening to Duane Allman's ghost. Though a studio recording, the album also has the energy of a live performance.

Overall, NMAS is a rising band that give you hope that the contemporary American music scene is not as bleak as it appears to be.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't listen to the humbugs... this disc rules, August 21, 2000

By	Blues Harp Bobby (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

Ignore the know-it-all purists below. So what if NMAS isn't pure, unadulterated hill country acoustic blues? It's an update, you dingbats, and it's not about better or worse (why do Americans, and especially American music snobs, have to get so hung up on "competition" between different musical styles?). These boys have taken some of the most legendary music of the American folk-blues tradition and given it an explosiveness and passion that matches our chaotic times. As for the reviewer below from Oxford who slams NMAS as a "weak imitation of R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough"... bro, just because you're from north Mississippi doesn't mean you know your head from your sphincter. I'm from Mississippi originally, and a singer and harp player to boot, and let me tell everyone that there is nothing weak or imitative about this band. Some people just don't like hearing their favorite style get altered in any way. When they do, they act as if someone added or subtracted books from the Bible. It's all great music, kids...