Since its formation a dozen years ago, North Mississippi Allstars has been one of the few blues-based acts to chart new musical ground by incorporating hip-hop and other more modern genres in an effort to keep the blues alive and growing. But in their hearts, brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson and friend Chris Chew are Mississippi hill country boys who live and breathe the kind of raw, pulsating blues that marks that geographic region. And the band's new, three-disc release reflects those roots and proves without a doubt that the trio is the real blues/rock deal. The CDs chronologically follows the band's development as an exhilarating live act, one able to strip everything away to the essence of hill-country blues -- grit, soul, and a delirious penchant for making butts boogie.