Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon are set to release their debut album Solstice on March 22nd via New West Records. The all-star collaboration features Luther Dickinson alongside Amy Helm, Amy LaVere, Birds of Chicago, Sharde Thomas, and the Como Mamas. Produced by Dickinson over four days at his family’s Zebra Ranch Studio in Independence, MS, Solstice follows his critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated 2016 album Blues & Ballads (A Folksinger’s Songbook) Volumes I & II and Prayers For Peace, his 2017 album with the North Mississippi Allstars, his celebrated band with brother Cody.
Solstice finds Dickinson taking a step back from the microphone in order to focus his efforts behind the scenes and flex his considerable muscles as both a producer and guitarist. The result is a 12-song set that stands apart in his extensive catalog, a collection that brings together some of the most captivating female voices in modern American roots music and filters each of their distinctive personalities through a singular vision of artistic community and musical exploration. It’s a wide-ranging collection that harkens back to the era of the traveling revue, when a rotating cast of entertainers would take turns fronting a house band for a series of dynamic and unpredictable performances. “Each singer brought a handful of songs to the table,” Dickinson says of the album’s diverse source material. “Sometimes it was an old tune they wanted to reinterpret or something new they’d written that felt right for the cast of characters at hand, but no matter the track, all of our colors ended up mixing together on a communal palette.”
While mostly recorded live in the studio, the band did invite a few special guests to contribute additional parts, including the fiddler Lillie Mae Rische (Jack White, Jim Lauderdale), organist Rev. Charles Hodges (Al Green, Willie Mitchell), and Grammy-winning artist and producer Alvin Youngblood Hart. Solstice was also mixed by Jeff Powell at Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, TN.
“The whole idea of this album was to introduce a bunch of friends and get them to collaborate with each other,” says Dickinson. “I wanted to let the chemistry flow, to create an environment where everyone’s flavors naturally blended together and each artist could just be themselves. I think you can feel that freedom in the music. Most of the work was in getting the spark lit,” he says of assembling the all-star cast. “It was sort of like throwing a party. Once you manage to get everybody together, you can just step back and let it all happen.”
Today, Paste Magazine has premiered the first single “Like A Songbird That Has Fallen” featuring Amy Helm. The T Bone Burnett/Bob Neuwirth penned song is an ode to redemption and second chances.
With nearly all of the album’s vocals recorded live in just one or two takes, there was no room for overthinking or second-guessing, only instinct and intuition. Commitment to living in the moment was key to keeping the album as cohesive as it is, no small task considering the broad array of songs and voices it encompasses. “Recording the album in the same place at the same time with the same people really helped glue the whole thing together,” says Dickinson. “It wouldn’t have worked if we’d recorded all over the map at different times. We had to physically be present to share in those moments together.”
“We believe music is a celebration of life, and folk music an expression of community and family,” Dickinson concludes. “Solstice is an artifact of our new friendship and musical fellowship.”
Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon have also announced their first ever tour dates in support of the album. The limited engagement will run seven evenings primarily at City Winery locations beginning March 11th in Chicago, IL. Please see all dates below.
Solstice by Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon will be available digitally, on compact disc, as well as vinyl LP and is available for pre-order now via New West Records.
Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon Solstice Track Listing
- Superlover featuring Birds of Chicago
- Fly With Me featuring Sharde Thomas
- Hallelujah (I’m a Dreamer) featuring Amy LaVere
- Like A Songbird That Has Fallen featuring Amy Helm
- Kathy featuring Birds of Chicago
- Hold To His Hand featuring The Como Mamas
- The Night Is Still Young featuring Amy LaVere
- Sing To Me featuring Amy Helm
- We Made It featuring Sharde Thomas
- Cricket (At Night I Can Fly) featuring Amy LaVere
- Til It’s Gone featuring Birds of Chicago
- Search Me featuring The Como Mamas
Luther Dickinson and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon Tour Dates
March 11th – Chicago, IL – City Winery
March 13th – Nashville, TN – City Winery
March 14th – Atlanta, GA – City Winery
March 17th – Sellersville, PA – Sellersville Theater
March 18th – Boston, MA – City Winery
March 19th – New York, NY – City Winery
March 20th – Washington, DC – City Winery
