Luther Dickinson - “Are You Sure”

SXSW 2024 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 5

Pairs Well With…Jason Isbell, Tedeschi Trucks Band, North Mississippi Allstars

Nostalgia is in the air on Luther Dickinson’s new record Magic Music for Family Folk, an album that collects the Americana artist’s favorite songs as a child and performs them among his own music friends. There’s a sweet reverence to how these songs are performed, not quite a children’s album, but one that tries to capture the perspective of a child discovering music for the first time. Note the simple, effective melodies that underpin much of the record - some of the best hooks in music are from nursery rhymes and music for developing brains. For those new to Luther Dickinson, the virtuoso guitarist and country songwriting has been a benchmark of the scene for decades now, a purveyor of the past playing with precise resonance. (Kevin McStravick)

2016 Review: Master guitarist Luther Dickinson’s latest is an interesting one - Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook: Volumes I & II) is a 21-track collection featuring a stripped down, acoustic band of rotating friend playing new songs, North Mississippi Allstars tracks and traditionals.  Lookout for the beautiful duet with Mavis Staples - “Ain’t No Grave”, originally released on NMAS’ 2011 record Keys to the Kingdom, is an prerelease highlight and one of the strongest four minutes of his career, stepping up his vocal to hang in the same ballpark as the soul great.