Review: Documentary ‘Take Me to the River’ explores Memphis’ musical genres

The loose, worshipful documentary “Take Me to the River” sets out to celebrate Memphis as a musical nexus of genres — blues, country, soul, rock — by sitting in on the recording of an album bringing together the region’s legendary headliners and session men with today’s young, mostly hip-hop up-and-comers.

Director Martin Shore and producer-blues guitarist Cody Dickinson are worshipful white dudes in thrall of the masters in their midst: R&B king Bobby Rush, Mavis Staples, guitarist Charles “Skip” Pitts, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Otis Redding crash survivor Ben Cauley and Charlie Musselwhite, among others. They’re matched with the likes of Al Kapone, Frayser Boy (“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”), Yo Gotti and the omnisciently cool and respectful Snoop Dogg.

The interview and archival-footage snippets of interstitial history — Stax Records, Royal Studios, Memphis’ soundtrack to the civil rights era — are too fleeting to take hold, and besides, Shore spends more time on the boisterously collegial studio reunions. “Take Me to the River” is at its most interesting when zeroing in on the back-and-forth between musicians of different eras who rely on unique jam-session skills: the rhythmic, precision fingerwork and hit-single wailing of the vinyl-era superstars to the free-flow verse prowess of today’s rappers.

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“Take Me to the River.”

MPAA rating: PG for thematic material, language, smoking.

Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes.

Playing: At Sundance Sunset, Los Angeles; Laemmle’s Royal, West L.A.; Laemmle’s NoHo 7, North Hollywood; and Lammle’s Playhouse 7, Pasadena.