Week of August 20, 2009, Issue #722
ALBUM REVIEWS
Old Sounds: James Luther Dickinson
Dixie Fried
Eden Munro / eden@vueweekly.com
James Luther Dickinson
Dixie Fried
(Atlantic)
Originally released: 1972
Once again, one passing overshadows another: Les Paul's biggest contribution to music is obvious—the Les Paul guitar, not to mention some pretty impressive recordings down the line—to all but the most oblivious. The late Jim Dickinson—the musician/producer passed away on August 15, 2009—is a little closer to the downlow for the average listener—even though nearly everbody who has ever passed by a classic-rock radio station on the dial has heard at least something of Dickinson's work; the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses" is one song that the man's piano appears on, and there are many, many more, along with production credits spanning Ry Cooder to Mudhoney and even North Mississippi Allstars, the band belonging to Dickinson's sons Cody and Luther.
But Dickinson was also an accomplished artist in his own right, even if he wasn't one to hog the spotlight much—he released his first album, Dixie Fried, released as James Luther Dickinson, in 1972 and didn't release another studio recording until 2002's Free Beer Tomorrow. No, the man was in no hurry to put his own name out there, instead choosing to spend his time as a producer, often drawing jaw-dropping performances out of other players and sometimes adding his own playing to someone else's album.
But Dickinson's identity was apparent—if a little wide ranging—right from that initial foray in 1972. Still, scattered is not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to music, as long as the album is pinned down by some sort of spine, and on Dixie Fried, that spine was the gritty, southern soul of Dickinson's voice, strong and assured as he runs through a series of songs that drift from the old-time rock 'n' roll of "Wine" to the smouldering blues of Bob Dylan's "John Brown" to the late-night jazz of his own "The Judgement."
It's an eclectic gathering of material, but Dickinson—with help from the his band and various guests like Dr. John—makes it all his own, while the album's producer, the late Tom Dowd, captures the performances with just the right amount of effects to twist the recording into something more than simply a solid and respectable collection.
In Dowd's hands, "The Judgement" is coloured by an ethereal echo on Dickinson's voice, while the following track, "O How She Dances" finds Dickinson growling out a spoken-word piece like a turn-of-the-century carnival barker while the music barrels along, a rambling acoustic guitar, a thumping bass, rolling toms and more all finding their own little piece of sonic landscape in the mix. (The piece is reminiscent of Tom Waits's work ever since he reinvented himself on 1983's Swordfishtrombones.)
As gruff as he is on "O How She Dances," though, Dickinson was also capable of everything from tenderness—the gospel-tinged "The Strength of Love"—to country blues—"Casey Jones (on the Road Again)." And with every stylistic shift, Dickinson reined the sound in just as it was threatening to get away from him, turning it into a cohesive piece of work revolving around his voice and often his piano as well. Taken as a whole, Dixie Fried wanders along, poking around in different places as it goes, but Dickinson surely leads the musical exploration every step of the way. V
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