More than half of the songs covered by the North Mississippi Allstars were originally written by
the bluesmen living (and farming) on a stretch of land known as the Hill Country.
The Hill Country Blues is rooted in a mode that differs slightly from traditional
and widely familiar blues forms or Country Western, and it is recognizable as an
entity itself when analyzing its structure.
However, to say that the Allstars simply cover these songs
would be demeaning to the immense creativity they fostered throughout
several years of music making. Many blues pieces have been covered countless
times in numerous recordings over generations. Amazingly, the Allstars take the
basic structure of the Hill Country and make it their own. They add harmonies, guitar
lines, picking styles, drumming, and chord progressions that emanate influences they
grasped while growing up. These influences stemming from rock, punk, psychedelic, jazz,
and even gospel are the creative additions that
liven the music and bring new originality to venerable songs.
"I'm goin' with you, babe,
I don't care where you go."
This section is a study on the main influence embedded in the NMA’s music, the Hill Country Blues, as well as the band’s individual style.
