Blues Rock, Without Boundaries

On the irresistible Polaris, the Allstars diversify the driving, bluesy attack of their previous two albums. Fronted by Luther Dickinson, this freewheeling quartet brings the spontaneity of a jam session to its soulful tunes, with feel-good results. Dickinson is a deft yet unpretentious guitarist who evokes the sweet slide licks of Duane Allman on "Eyes" and channels Jerry Garcia's spacey elegance in the country-blues delight "The One Thing." The Allstars ignore boundaries, blithely shifting styles; the hybrid of psychedelia and hip hop on "Be So Glad" could easily seem contrived, but Dickinson and company make sure every note sounds genuine.

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