“Ain’t Rocked In A While” starts with a piano version of “Beyond Measure.” A little intro of a song—but one Brent Cobb clearly likes, given that there’s a different version before the end—it speaks to his mindset: “I’m blessed beyond measure… I ain’t searching for gold.” There’s a feeling of contentment throughout.
Indeed, the title track—groovy, bluesy, and the type of thing Blackberry Smoke probably thought they’d cornered—just seems to exist because he can. His last record was a spiritual one; this one lives up to its name.
“Bad Feeling” is hewn from the classics but eager to press on, and the solo alone is enough to evoke Skynyrd comparisons. ’70s-era Joe Perry would have been thrilled with the opening to “Do It All The Time”, and it’s an interesting facet of the record that you’d almost swear you’d heard these songs before. Whether it’s the hook-laden “Don’t Need Fixin'” or the gentle, sun-dappled “In Our Hands”, Cobb and his band have crafted a set of songs that feel instantly timeless.
“Powerman” shifts the vibe, its energy and fuzz making it a focal point. And if the whole thing sounds like it came out of the 1970s, then that’s especially true of “Take Your Meds.” A short record—the ten songs are in and out in just over half an hour—there’s something calming and familiar about it all.
Even the closer, “Till Dawn”, which features the hook “Don’t come to the graveyard after dark, if you can’t stay till dawn”, doesn’t seem to present anything too scary in its shadows.
“‘Spose a rock’s out of the question?” asked Def Leppard in the early ‘90s, and there’s a bit of that here. “Ain’t Rocked In A While” is lovingly crafted by a lifer in the game, and Brent Cobb seems thrilled to be turning it up again.
Rating 8/10
