North Mississippi Allstars

Plus many new upcoming releases, new news stories and reviews, video of the week, and more.

Come July, I can always feel the magnetic pull of Floydfest World Music & Arts festival; 2007 was no different. The journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway is glorious; lush green trees atop majestic mountains usher you into one of the most peaceful and inspiring weekends of the summer. The sky looked a bit iffy, so I prayed for sunlight to bless the fine folks who have worked for months and months to provide this magical experience for music lovers. Each time we stopped for gas we saw a pack of our Floydfest friends on their journey; it feels great to be a part of the family!

Regardless of their object of adoration, tribute albums generally need at least one of two things to work: great songs and a roster of contributing artists with enough artistic tact to find a balance between their own voices and those of the songs they choose. With eleven of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s best, the first criteria is taken care of, and for the most part, Under the Influence – A Jam Band Tribute To Lynyrd Skynyrd does pretty well with the second as well.