Guitarists JD Simo and Luther Dickinson may not have fallen from exactly the same tree but the two contemporary bluesmen, who are firmly rooted in tradition, sure come out of the same orchard.

After coming together at the invitation of Phil Lesh, as part of the bassist’s ongoing and every evolving Phil Lesh & Friends project, the two then teamed up in the studio and came up with a handful of offerings under the banner of Do The Rump!.

Given that collectively, Simo’s and Dickinson’s resumes include work with Jack White, Dan Auerbach, Otha Turner, Jimbo Mathus, and of course The North Mississippi All-Stars, it’s a bit of a given these two would likely go down a road that explores and extols the rough and tumble side of Hill Country blues ala R. L Burnside and Junior Kimbrough, and that gritty sound that also taps into early John Lee Hooker.

But it’s a tune from Louisiana’s Bobby Charles and a song he recorded when he was living in Woodstock in the early seventies, and a gem at that, called “Street People” that kicks off Do The Rump!

Fifty years on, this duo has taken the tune and sonically transported it, to a seemingly nastier time. The instrumental and vocal edge imply that being on and living out on the street is a tougher prospect that the one Charles experienced or wrote about.

Continuing into their cool collection of covers is a take on J.J. Cale’s “Right Down Here” which they’ve altered to “Right Down There”. It is a stinging, staccato fueled interpretation of a tune that was originally laid out with one of Cale’s slinky, elasticized arrangements. But once again a new take on an old gem brings about winning results.

A haunting and foreboding feeling drapes their dive into Junior Kimbrough’s “Lonesome Road” that shines a light on drummer Adam Abrashoff who explodes through the piece that, thanks to the entire trio, conjures up the ghost of Cream.

“Come and Go With Me” and “Serves Me Right to Suffer” come from the book of John Lee Hooker and both should point listeners to Hooker’s vintage Detroit recordings and just maybe this could be the start of a Hooker renaissance.

The deep grooves keep coming and the album finale, “Peaches”, gives real hints as to why Phil Lesh would have been drawn to Simo and Dickinson as they skate across morphing grooves. The two guitarists weaving a wonderful mix of tempos, and sonic shifts of the kind that dominated the Grateful Dead sound decades ago and still surfaces with Lesh and Dead and Co.

That this listener will be back for more servings is a given. That Simco and Dickinson have just finished a tour brings hope this unit will be more than just a successful one-off. (Peter North)