Luther Dickinson: Allstar

5 Chinese Brothers- 3.5
One of the dj’s at WWUH used to play stuff off of Let’s Kill Sat Night and I always enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek, witty, intelligent sense of humor these guys brought to their music. Not being familiar with this cd though, I’m getting that same vibe. I wish I could have seen them in concert- I bet they were a hoot. Liked this cd a lot. Great alt country.

North Miss Allstars- 4.0
I’m a big Luther Dickinson fan so this is going to be a little biased. The emotions surrounding the death of the Dickinson patriarch and the birth three months later of Luther Dickinson’s child is evident throughout this cd. They serve up a lot of songs that deal with anger, acceptance, mortality and spirituality. Full of gospel tinged, raw Southern blues-rock- this cd is offered up as an emotional and passionate tribute to a Southern gentleman, a fine producer, and the musical cornerstone of the Dickinson family. Mavis Staples, Ry Cooder, Spooner Oldham, and Alvin Youngblood Hart take guest turns throughout. This is a great cd.

Motorhead- 2.0
Not a fan- never have been. These guys have been around for a long time and I’m sorry but to me if you have heard one Motorhead record you’ve heard them all. Nothing new here. Loud, frenetic guitars, growling vocals, apocalyptic lyrics and arrangements that, after a very short while, just start to grate my nerves.

Alkaline Trio-3.0
Don’t own any AK3 and not familiar with their earlier cd’s but Crimson is a record I really enjoyed. While a lot of the lyrics deal with things like an alcoholic’s torment, lifelong illnesses, broken bones, and psychosis- there’s songs like Mercy Me that bring straight-ahead pop tendencies to the music. They kind of remind me of The Cure meets Green Day. Not a bad thing at all.

The Smiths-4.0
Is it too long- yes. Does it get on my nerves after a while- yes. Are there lots of absolutely brilliant songs on this cd- yes. There is no denying the bouncy pop and irresistibility of songs like Ask, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now, William, It Was Really Nothing, Panic, Hand in Glove and Oscillate Wildly.

3 Chord Rock
I’m still not sure what 3 chord rock is and I don’t know if I could listen to a song and say- yep- great 3 chord rock right there. But I do know that this is a nice collection of rock songs. Thanks Alan- enjoyed it.