Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
By Mike O’Cull
Three-time Grammy winners the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band use their eternal sense of roots music genius to explore the songs of Bob Dylan on the group’s new release Dirt Does Dylan. Set to drop on May 20th, 2022, the record is a ten-song journey through the work of arguably the most important singer-songwriter ever by one of the finest musical crews the USA has ever created.
The album was produced and recorded by Ray Kennedy (Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams) at Room & Board Studio in Nashville, Tennessee and lets us hear the current NGDB operating at the peak of their powers on some absolutely landmark Dylan tunes. Dylan’s songs often reveal their deepest levels in the hands of their interpreters and that’s certainly the case here. The NGDB and special guests including Jason Isbell, The War & Treaty, Steve Earle, Larkin Poe, and Rosanne Cash get all the way inside these tracks and pull at the emotions contained in Dylan’s lines and figures in a way that demonstrates why his music will last forever.
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has left an indelible mark on American music since first coming together in 1966. They’ve won three Grammy Awards, placed an album and a single in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and charted country hits including “Voila (An American Dream),” “Modern Day Romance,” and “Stand a Little Rain.” The Band has also recorded the volumes of the multi-artist Will the Circle Be Unbroken albums that featured legends like Mother Maybelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Emmylou Harris, Taj Mahal, John Prine, and Dwight Yoakam. There have been lineup changes over the years but the present one of founding members Jeff Hanna (guitar, vocals) and Jimmie Fadden (harmonica, vocals) plus Bob Carpenter (keyboards, vocals), Ross Holmes (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Jim Photoglo (bass, vocals), and Hanna’s son Jaime Hanna (guitar, vocals) is as compelling as the group has ever been.
Dirt Does Dylan begins with the fiddle-enhanced folk/rock of BD’s “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You.” Originally on Dylan’s Nashville Skyline album, the song gets an emotive and profound treatment here on all levels and is made extra special by fiddler Ross Holmes’ beautiful lines. This one leans toward Dylan’s romantic side and the NGDB accentuates the vibe quite nicely.
“Girl from the North Country” is rendered in gorgeous acoustic colors and sweet father-and-son vocals that will hit you hard. The wistful, October-ish, instrumental outro is also full of a subtle power that will get you thinking about somebody somewhere. The feel of this bunch playing together is its own brand of magic and quickly becomes hypnotic, especially when wrapped around a song of this caliber.
The gentle shuffle of “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” crosses over into a country/blues zone that you’re going to want to hang out in. Jimmie Fadden’s lead vocals and harp work are spot on and the rhythm section rubs the pocket just right. The players are all listening to each other and creating an atmosphere around Dylan’s lyrics without overpowering a single syllable. Lots of bands talk this game but few walk it as well as this.
Dylan’s Peter Pan incantation “Forever Young” is a mid-tempo country/rock gem that will get you misty-eyed in a hurry. The NGDB puts it down with the conviction of true believers, with Jeff, Jamie, and Carpenter each singing lead on a verse. “I Shall Be Released” is sanctified and holy, diving directly into the heart of the human experience. Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe contribute vocal and lap steel parts that light up the arrangement like a Fourth of July sky.
“The Times They Are A-Changing” is quite possibly the mightiest track on this set due to the combined power of the NGDB and guests Jason Isbell, Roseanne Cash, Steve Earle, The War & Treaty, Matraca Berg, and Fred Eltringham. This is one of Dylan’s definitive songs and bringing this many major artists to it speaks volumes about its meaning and legacy. It’s as relevant today as when it was written and everyone on this session knows it.
Dirt Does Dylan is as close to perfect as a tribute record can get and will touch lovers of lyrical songs in indescribable ways. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American institution at this point, as is Dylan, and putting them together has resulted in one of this year’s most sublime records. Don’t miss one second of it.
Pre-Order Dirt Does Dylan Here
Watch “I Shall be Released Feat. Larkin Poe”
What a perfect union-NGDB and Dylan! I love it! Keep on pickin guys!
I seen the band in West Fargo tonight. Very dissatisfied with the whole group. There was no energy and they did not play the hits from the past that people wanted to hear. Probably time to stop touring guys. Used to respect your show.
I had the polar opposite experience to the person above. Saw them Aug 6 at the Mishawaka in Colorado. I was stunned at how good they still are. They can go from basic country twang to full on rock show and everything in between. Best show I’ve seen this year.
Saw them tonight in Orange Park, FL. They absolutely played their butts off for 2 hours! Can’t wait to hear the new album!
Not sure who Thomas saw, but it must have been imposters. Two hours of great music last week!