The North Mississippi Allstars’ guitarist Luther Dickinson has not one but three new albums scheduled for release on May 8. He’ll release Hambone’s Meditation, an acoustic, instrumental album inspired by John Fahey; Old Times There…, the second album from side project South Memphis String Band (with Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus); and The Wandering, which puts him in a band setting with Shannon McNally, Amy LaVere, Valerie June and Sharde Thomas—granddaughter of Otha Turner, leader of the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band.

“The idea for the band came together one day when I saw a picture of Valerie playing the banjo, which led me to think about Amy playing upright bass, which led me to think about Sharde playing drums and Shannon playing guitar,” says Dickinson. “So I called them up and arranged a session. We had no idea what to expect and I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but it couldn’t have been lovelier.”

Here’s a preview of The Wandering: a free stream/download of “Loving Him Was Easier Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again”.

Download “Lovin’ Him Was Easier Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again” by The Wandering