Mississippi Folk Music, Volume One

Sometimes a release sneaks up on you, especially when it isn’t getting a lot of promotion. Such is the plight of Mississippi Folk Music Vol. 1 from the North Mississippi Allstars. After hearing rumors of a new N. Mississippi Allstars album (Hernando, release date: Jan. 22), I went in search of some verification, and while looking, I stumbled across this cd in their online store. Mississippi Folk Music – Vol. 1 has been released on the band’s own label, which will also be releasing Hernando, and is only being sold at their shows and online. While it is an album mostly of covers in a year of cover albums, one needs to think more in the lines Old Town School of Folk Music Songbooks than Tesla does a covers album. Featuring covers of everything from traditional folks songs, to their own versions of RL Burnside, Ray Charles, Mississippi John Hurt and Bob Dylan originals, to a fantastic remake of their own “Snakes in My Bushes”, Mississippi Folk Music – Vol 1 offers an unplugged version of NMA that fans have grown to know and love while also managing to surprise on a few tracks. I would suggest this cd to the established NMA fan. If that’s you, go buy it. -Autopsy IV, NineBullets