The record that first got me into Southern Rock, if you want to call it that, I can vividly recall. It was Zakk Wylde’s post Ozzy Osborne endeavour, Pride And Glory. A vast, sprawling thing, they only made one album, but it remains to this day, one of my absolute favourite records.
Zakk in interviews kept talking about The Allman Brothers, and so we checked them out. You can still hear their influence to this day. Whether its Bon Jovi, Hannah Aldridge, Blackberry Smoke, they’ve all covered them which means that when three of their next generation got together, they faced a choice. And obviously, with The Allman Betts band, they chose what to embrace.
When you call a band that, you are inviting comparison, after all. And Devon Allman, Duane Betts and Berry Duane Oakley can’t be surprised at any that comes their way. Their dads, in case you don’t know, were responsible for some of the finest “Southern rock” there is.
The glorious thing about the new breed is, that they are genuinely sprinkled with stardust too. “Pale Horse Rider” kicks off with more Skynyrd-isms than its possible to shake your cowboy hat at, but “Carolina Song” is even better.
And its proof that this band is more than just three famous siblings. For one thing they’ve got another guitarist in Johnny Stachela (lets be honest here, all Southern Rock Groups need three, right?) but it’s the glorious organ of John Ginty that makes this. The way it meshes with the slide guitar, the soulful harmonies. This one – never mind the last name – is right out of the top draw.
That it isn’t even the peak, is more down to the rabble rousing rock n roll frivolity of “Night Crawler” which adds more sax than has been seen since the big man joined the band, as it were.
“Ashes Of My Lovers” is happy in the desert, channelling some Calexico type vibe, right down on the Rio Grande. Further evidence, perhaps that this is a band that is happy to explore any of the back roads in the mythical hometown they have built for themselves, which they dub as “The United States Of Americana”.
“Airboats And Cocaine” is a straight ahead rocker, slide guitar drenched, and with the same loose piano as the Stones on “Sticky Fingers” – Black Crowes fans probably need to gravitate here fast.
The differences in style and tempo are impressive. “Southern Rain” is relaxed, laid back and probably chemically enhanced, but its guitar line envelops things brilliantly and whilst its tempting to find Allman Brothers Band references in all of these, then they are right to the fore on “Rivers Run” with its wholesome charm. Crikey, we aren’t far from apple pies cooling on the window here.
The band are probably at their best when the electric guitars are amped up, in fairness. Like on “Magnolia Road” or the blues masterclass of “Should We Ever Part”.
The disparate threads they weave is testimony to their skill, their musicianship, but also the chemistry that the seven (plus the raft of special guests they get for album number two) have. You could only do this if you had faith in each other. Oakley sings his first ABB track with the psychedelic tinged “Doctors Daughter” – eight minutes of a jam that might well show that at least a bit of this belongs in Woodstock still and actually there’s just a warmth here throughout.
It ends with a couple that are shorter, sharper and more to the point. Even here, though, you just know the band are enjoying themselves. “Much Obliged” is obviously a homage to johnny Cash, and why not? And “Congratulations” is piano led and slow building.
This is a lengthy record –almost an hour and a quarter – and 12 minutes of that is an instrumental jam, “Savannah’ Dream”. There’s a family business to carry on, after all and you just know that The Allman Betts Band are but a heartbeat away from being a full on jam band.
On “Bless Your Heart” though, they aren’t. It’s well named, too, because there is something genuinely uplifting about the album. Rather like that Pride And Glory album I referenced at the beginning, this is an epic, sometimes meandering thing, but when it hits the peaks it is absolutely brilliant.
Rating 9/10
