Cody Dickinson – Homemade

For decades, Cody Dickinson has flown the flag for homemade American roots music. From his ongoing work with North Mississippi Allstars — the chart-topping blues/rock band he cofounded with brother Luther Dickinson in 1996 — to his Grammy-winning turn as record producer and film documentarian, he’s become a serial collaborator, working alongside everyone from Robert Plant to Lucero along the way. “I’ve made a career out of collaborating,” he says. “If I’m working in film or TV, my job is to support creative people and help them realize their vision. If I’m working as a musician, I’m getting behind the drums and literally backing up somebody else.

Most of my life has been spent supporting.” Cody turns the tables with Homemade, an expansive and evolutionary album that marks his long-awaited debut as a solo artist. Stacked to the ceiling with southern soul, west coast boogie-woogie, hill country blues, and plenty of ear-candy pop hooks, Homemade redefines his reach as a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. It also finds him in full-on family mode. Looking to spend more time with his young children, Cody recorded the album at home in Mississippi, where he played every instrument himself and balanced the tracking sessions with his responsibilities as a father of two toddlers.

“Getting married and having two babies has been the most wonderful, mind-boggling, life-changing experience,” he explains. “I love being with them. I used to leave for a tour and the road would go on forever, but now, I love coming back to my family. Maybe that’s why most of these songs have a common theme of home, whether I’m singing about being home or missing home or unconditionally loving the people who are there. There’s even a song about moonshine, which is literally a homemade spirit.” Homemade marks a full-circle moment for the songwriter, showcasing not only where Cody is going, but where he’s been, too. Cody calls it “an open invitation for everyone to come together and take on the world’s problems,” speaking like the true collaborator he’s always been. That team-player mentality is still very much a part of Cody’s DNA. With Homemade, though,he proves he can stand alone, too, writing his own soundtrack for a world filled with loved ones, change, and killer songs.