Says Harp's Fred Mills, "It was way back in 2001 when Jon Spencer, reeling from marital turmoil and feeling his Blues Explosion mojo at low ebb, journeyed to Jim Dickinson's Zebra Ranch studio in Mississippi for some down 'n' dirty sonic therapy with Dickinson's kids Cody and Luther (aka 2/3 of the North Mississippi Allstars). Spencer Dickinson was the bad, brawny yield, although fans had to scramble to locate it as a pricey, limited-edition Japanese import.

Now available Stateside as The Man Who Lives for Love and boasting seven more tracks than the '01 edition, the record hasn't lost any of its bad 'n' brawn. Spencer's signature wolfman Elvis vocals inevitably stamp the collaboration as Blues Explosion-esque. But the Brothers Dickinson are hardly anonymous here: tracks such as the tribal boogie of 'I'm Not Ready' and the swampy trance-blues of 'Body (My Only Friend)' bear their inimitable Hill Country imprint. Spencer seems utterly inspired as a result, yowling and moaning like he not only went down to the levee but dived straight in."