ALBUM REVIEW: Luther Dickinson Makes ‘Magic Music’ For the Entire Family

North Mississippi Allstars frontman Luther Dickinson isn’t climbing any rural hills on his latest outing, Magic Music for Family Folk. It’s billed as a kids album, but the content here is for children of all ages.

It’s a real family affair, with Dickinson’s daughters helping on vocals, overdubbing their younger selves on the original rough mix from 2017 that Dickinson updated for the final product. The project was sweetened with soulful harmonizing from Shardé Thomas, granddaughter of Rising Star Fife and Drum Band founder Othar Turner, and Sharisse Norman, who has lent her soulful sound to previous Allstars records.

The songs are all tunes that Dickinson loved as child, but that doesn’t mean the presentation is childlike. There’s no pandering here. The Staple Singers’ “Are You Sure” is a straightforward presentation, almost a note-for-note rendering of the 1972 original, but that’s a good thing. There’s a lot of reverence here, with nice wiggly gospel guitar insertions by Dickinson over his backup singers’ celestial harmonies.

Most kids of this generation know “Turkey in the Straw” as the tinkly instrumental the ice cream truck plays as it crawls through their cul-de-sacs hawking frozen goodies. But Dickinson’s version goes back to the song’s roots, sounding more hokum than hokey.

Luther Dickinson (photo by Joshua Black Wilkins)

“They All Ask for You” is pure hokum. Although The Meters are often cited as creators of the song, which they released in 1976, the origins of that ditty go way back, to the 1920s. The standard hokum double-entendre feature kicks in if you try to sing it too fast and don’t pronounce “ask” clearly when running down the animal roll call inquiring about you. The Meters version is a Mardi Gras staple, but Dickinson’s version is more akin to Little Feat’s take on it (which they called “Down on the Farm,” from the 1979 album of the same name). It’s still a giggle producer to listen to or sing along with.

John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom Boom” sounds more Dr. John than Hooker on this rendition. It’s not usually included on children’s compilations, but it’s easy to see why Dickinson’s take on it would tickle kids with its slow rollin’ second-line strut and easily remembered chorus — the same reasons adults enjoy struttin’ down the street with it on Mardi Gras day.

Buy a copy of Magic Music for your kids, but get another for yourself. It’s good to share, but you’ll want your own to get your groove on with as well.

Luther Dickinson’s Magic Music for Family Folk is out Nov. 17 on New West Records.