Aside from co-leading the
North Mississippi Allstars with his brother
Cody,
Luther Dickinson has spearheaded a number of solo projects drenched in American roots music since 2009.
Solstice is a kind of companion to 2012's
Go On Now, You Can't Stay Here by
the Wandering --
Dickinson's first project with female vocalists. Longtime associates
Amy LaVere and
Sharde Thomas were part of the earlier group and contribute alongside gospel trio the
Como Mamas,
Amy Helm, and
Birds of Chicago's
Allison Russell.
Dickinson convened the singers/musicians at his family's Zebra Ranch Studio over four days in 2016 for a relaxed jam and recording session. The idea was for these women -- some of whom had never met -- to engage and interact with one another in an unrehearsed situation and capture the encounter on tape. While the singers and studio instrumentalists committed their best takes live to tape, additional instruments --
Lillie Mae Rische's fiddle,
Rev. Charles Hodges' Hammond B-3, and
Will Sexton's and
Alvin Youngblood Hart's guitars -- were overdubbed later.
The relaxed nature of the proceedings dictated that the material be comprised of spot-chosen originals and covers, including tunes that some singers had previously cut and released on their own.
Surprise is the name of the game as blues, fife, and drum music, gospel, folk, country, and R&B commingle in the moment. Opener "Superlover," with
Russell on lead vocals, is caressed by acoustic guitars, fiddle, and electric piano as she shuffles through the wandering spirits of Americana and soul. "Fly with Me," sung by
Thomas, features her fife and snare playing,
Dickinson's boogie-tastic slide playing, and
Russell's banjo stroll through an R&B-cum-swamp pop tune. "Hallelujah (I'm a Dreamer)" is the first of
LaVere's three selections. Penned by the Louisiana songwriter
David Eagan, she marries his sweet Cajun rock to
Doc Pomus' streetwise pop as whining slide, snare, and backing chorus caress her every sung line.
Helm delivers a killer version of
Bobby Neuwirth's and
T-Bone Burnett's "Like a Sparrow That Has Fallen." Country gospel meets Southern folk driven by a shuffling snare, Wurlitzer, fiddle, banjo, and electric guitar.
Helm delivers the prayer in the lyric as both plea and manifesto. On
Russell's "Kathy," the singer's clarinet and banjo, an upright piano, and
LaVere's upright bass hover just underneath her bluesy vocal.
Rev. Charles Hodges' organ is the prime accompanist on
Helm's "Sing to Me." It flows through her sweet take on rural soul, while clarinet and slide guitar add jazz and blues for good measure.
The Como Mamas close the date with an a cappella reading of
Dr. Thomas Dorsey's "Search Me." The trio deliver it here just as they do in church: as a down-home, call-and-response gospel tune infused with raw Delta blues. On
Solstice, the good will and camaraderie shared by the set's participants perfectly balance the sacred and the secular. These performances are often startling in their gentle power to edify, making
Dickinson's ideas for a collaborative project a fruitful one. ~ Thom Jurek
