Rock/Folk - Former Band member and all-around swell guy Levon Helm delivers the sequel to 2007's Grammy-winning album Dirt Farmer, which was an exceptional collection of rootsy rock and folk that reestablished Helm as one of America's premier troubadours after a 25-year solo hiatus. The San Francisco Chronicle dubbed Dirt Farmer "nothing less than a return to form by one of the most soulful vocalists in rock history.” Electric Dirt digs deeper into Helm's repertoire, featuring songs by The Staple Singers, The Grateful Dead, Muddy Waters (the title is a play on Waters' psychedelic experiment Electric Mud), Randy Newman, and Woodstock folk icon Happy Traum alongside a couple original tunes.

While Dirt shares its predecessor's songbook style format, as well as most of its talented studio personal and part of its title, it is not a rehash. “We knew we couldn’t just remake Dirt Farmer; it had to be something different,” explains producer/multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell. “Because as great as that record was, as convincing as Levon was and as pure as his impulse was to make it, that’s just one aspect of what he’s about. I knew that we had to keep that vibe but build on it—get more expansive." As its title implies, Electric Dirt rocks a little harder, but it also expands Helm's roots idiom to include gospel and Carter Family-style folk and even includes a couple horn-laced soul numbers arranged by the great Allen Toussaint. All in all the album comprises an endearing and eclectic selection of songs executed by a great talent in his second prime. Recommended.

Artist Site            MySpace