The North Mississipi Allstars' last big blip on the screen came in 2001,
when they served as the backing band for The Word, the glorious three-way
collaboration between the Allstars, John Medeski and slide-guitar wizard
Robert Randolph.
That album snapped, crackled and popped, it was by turns beautiful and
tough, and though Randolph's pedal-steel interpretations of old gospel songs
like "I'll Fly Away" were the focus, the NMA's were right in there, a
muscular motor beneath the improvisational flights of the one-shot group's
visionary leaders.
The Allstars seemed primed to drop a funk-rock nuke on their first album
since "The Word", but what we get instead sounds more like a holding action
than a forward movement.
"Polaris", while definitely the work of the same talented band, plays it way
too safe, muting the band's instrumental skills and hewing to weak
pop-formulas, with only glimpses of the fiery combo that tore the roof off
during The Word's tour.
On song after song the NMA's seem unsure how to put their considerable chops
to work. The result often has the feel of savvy session-musicians working
through some pretty banal pop songs. And I mean *ordinary*. "Otay" sounds
like bad 311, and "Kids These Days" could be a friggin' Gin Blossoms song.
(No offense to any fans of those two awful bands.)
There are little sparklers of inspiration everywhere; Chris Chew's crunchy
bass solo on "Never In All My Days", Luther Dickinson's slide-guitar
flourishes all over the record, and Cody Dickinson's deft drumming on "Bad
Bad Pain." But if the NMA's are going to forsake shredding for songs, the
songs had better bring the hooks, and this batch just doesn't. At their
best ("Bad Bad Pain"), they've got a good groove with a good solo break and
no melody to speak of, and at their worst ("Meet Me In the City") they sound
like the closing credits of a "Toy Story" movie. (No offense to any fans of
Randy Newman.)
But there is a bright spot on the record, and it's "One To Grow On." This
waltzy ballad is pop bliss, building elegantly to several big choruses, with
swelling strings, sublime vocal harmonies and warm currents of slide-guitar
surrounding a strong vocal. On most of "Polaris" the unspectacular singing
and dry vocal production sounds amateurish alongside the crips arrangements,
but on "One To Grow On" the vocal's Everyman quality gives the song a
sincere edge.
Quick packaging gripe here: There are enough guest-musicians listed in the
liner-notes of "Polaris" to field two football teams, but no indication is
given as to what track each person appears on. For example, "Noel Gallagher
- Vocals", but good luck finding him.
For that matter, the NMA's themselves are all listed as providing vocals,
and both Luther and Cody Dickinson *and* Dwayne Burnside play guitar, so any
outsider's attempt to give credit for this solo or that solo is nothing more
than a not-so-educated guess.
The Allstars end this maddening album with the hidden instrumental "Goin'
Home." It's a two-minute slice of bluegrass, shimmering with slide-guitar
melodies, and it easily trounces everything else on the record. After an
hour spent confounding expectation, the NMA's come up with just enough sugar
to keep me on-board for one more album. "Goin' Home" gives hope to the
faithful, but "Polaris" doesn't try hard enough to be inspiring. |