The record was partially inspired by old photographs taken by Texan photographer Wyatt McSpadden in 1996, who visited the Dickinson brothers around the time of formation the North Mississippi Allstars to document the hill country blues scene in the Magnolia State. The images inspired the Dickinsons to revisit the sound of regionally renowned artists like Otha Turner and Junior Kimbrough ("Lonesome in My Home") that were hugely influential on their band.[1]
Unlike the previous album, 2017's Prayer for Peace, this one saw an increase in the band's lineup. The Dickinson brothers duo were joined by bassist Carl DuFrene, fife player Shardé Thomas and vocalist Sharisse Norman. Previously, DuFrene was one of the guest musicians on the 2015 album Freedom & Dreams, while Thomas and Norman were featured on Prayer for Peace.
Main recording sessions took place at Zebra Ranch Studios in Independence, Mississippi with Kevin Houston. Mavis' vocals were recorded March 11, 2019 at Chicago Recording Company by engineer Mat Lejeune, assisted by Jonathan Lackey. "What You Gonna Do?" and "Mean Old World" were recorded at Sputnik Sound in Nashville by Vance Powell, assisted by Mike Fahey. "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" and additional drums were recorded at Checkerboard Lounge in Southaven by Cody Dickinson. "Out on the Road" was recorded at Harmony Hill Recordings in Nashville by Luther Dickinson, at Brooklyn Recording in New York by Andy Taub and at Checkerboard Lounge in Southaven by Cody Dickinson. Betts' guitar part was recorded at Pacific View Studio in Los Angeles by Stoll Vaughan.
On June 26, 2019 Paste magazine premiered the first single from then-upcoming album - a cover of The Staple Singers’ "What You Gonna Do" from their 1965 album Freedom Highway.[2] Along with the song, release date, track listing, cover art, and tour dates were revealed.
Up and Rolling was met with universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on four reviews.[3]AllMusic's Thom Jurek said that the album "clears away decades of cobwebs, dust, and wisteria vines from the doorway to the past: It's a family reunion offering that looks to the Hill Country's history and mystery for both its inspiration from the past and guidance to its present".[4] Hal Horowitz of American Songwriter praised the album saying: "It's an album that both looks backward and forward, reprising the dusky feel of the music that first inspired the Dickinson brothers to start their band while pushing it into electric boogie and even psychedelic directions its founders might not have imagined".[5] Doug Collette of Glide found the album "decidedly tighter and more focused piece of work than their last two albums".[3]Uncut reviewer stated: "a passionate and muscular record that oozes cool in every note".[3]
With four out of five star rating given, the album was chosen as one of AllMusic's 'Favorite Blues Album's.[6]
