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is a nice slow blues with more superb vocals from Sheryl. Others in the band include
Billy Flynn and Giles Corey (guitars), John Kattke (organ), Brian Quinn and Mike
Perez (bass) and Kenny ‘Beedy Eyes’ Smith (drums), plus Danielle Nicole guests on

vocals on ‘Third Wheel’ and ‘Shiverin’ Blues’.

‘Love (It Makes You Do Most Anything)’ is another blaster with Sheryl out front and
the brass and backing vocals and the previously mentioned ‘Shiverin’ Blues’ with

Danielle Nicole is a dramatic, chilling slow blues referencing the death of Pierre’s
father from Covid. By contrast ‘The Sock Hop’ is a jaunty rocker, ‘I Ain’t Evil’ is a
driving fast blues with cutting lead guitar and stabbing harp and brass and the title

track and the final ‘Four Steel Walls’ are both strong, brisk ensemble tracks with
everyone digging in. This is a very good album – it’s Chicago blues but brought up
to date, there’s lots of variety, great playing, good songs and in newcomer Sheryl

Youngblood, Pierre has found an excellent front woman with a very strong voice.

Graham Harrison

Luther Dickinson—Dead Blues Volume 1—Strolling

Bones Records

The starting point for this album was that in 2013 The
Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh invited Luther and Cody

Dickinson to tour with him. However, as blues fans they
were not aware of the Dead’s musical heritage but on the
subsequent tour they learned that the band had always

played blues classics as part of their live sets. This album
collects those blues songs covered by The Dead -
although these versions don’t sound anything like either

The Dead or The Mississippi Allstars – for example the opener Blind Lemon
Jefferson’s ‘One Kind Favor’ is transformed into restrained funk with riffing brass

and Datrian Johnson’s soulful vocals. Indeed, Datrian sings on all the tracks, which
were constructed with Luther recording bass then adding guitar and keyboards,
with help from brother Cody and other North Mississippi associates including Ray
Hollowman, Paul Taylor and Steve Selvidge, as well as Phil’s son Grahame.

We get versions of Bo Diddley’s ‘Who Do You Love’ and the blues chestnut ‘Sitting
on Top of the World’ is again funked up, as is Slim Harpo’s ‘King Bee’. Junior Parker’s
‘Mystery Train’ is one of the album’s more bluesy tracks with Luther’s slide guitar

and an insistent drum beat and Gus Cannon’s ‘Minglewood Blues’ may not sound
anything like the original but it does work as a contemporary blues track, with

Datrian’s vocals being exceptional. Willie Dixon’s ‘I Just Want to Make Love To You’
is quite a conventional version but ‘Little Red Rooster’ which you would think was
made for Luther’s slide guitar becomes another funk-fest with processed guitars
and synths, ditto ‘High Heeled Sneakers’ which has little in common with Tommy

Tucker’s original. I imagine younger people hearing this album who haven’t heard