On their second album, the North Mississippi Allstars begin to refine their craft. As on their debut, the trio spends most of their time pounding out anvil-heavy blues-rock, not of the questionably macho Bad Company style, but something more raw and real that owes equal amounts to R.L. Burnside (with whom guitarist/singer Cody Dickinson has toured), the Allman Brothers, and Black Flag. At the same time, 51 PHANTOM finds the band evolving a bit beyond the blues, offering a couple of more lyrically and harmonically complex tunes that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a vintage Allmans or Little Feat album. At all times, Dickinson's guitar remains a marvel, harnessing storms of electric fury. Never mind the White Stripes, this is how it's really done.|
Rovi