Low Country Blues

Low Country Blues

by Gregg Allman
Low Country Blues

Low Country Blues

by Gregg Allman

CD

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Overview

Given his place in the pantheon of American rock music, Gregg Allman's solo career away from the Allman Brothers Band has been generally disappointing. Perhaps that's why it took nearly a decade between his previous album, 1997's Searching for Simplicity (its title alone indicates his frustrations) and 1988's over-produced yet underwhelming Just Before the Bullets Fly. A whopping 14 years later, Allman joins forces with roots producer to the stars T-Bone Burnett, hoping that some of the latter's mojo can rub off on a singer who is one of the great white soul and blues vocalists in rock music. For the most part it does, as the duo choose 11 relatively obscure covers from classic artists such as Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Wells, and B.B. King that have clearly influenced Allman's musical approach. The backing is organic but far from stripped-down with horns, multiple guitars, and even background vocalists supporting the singer's patented crusty growl. From the opening raw thump of the ominous Sleepy John Estes' "Floating Bridge" to a peppy yet intense take on Muddy Waters' "I Can't be Satisfied" and a fiery reworking of Magic Sam's "My Love Is Your Love," Allman sounds invested and inspired by this material and his musical surroundings. Veterans such as Dr. John (credited here with his real name, Mac Rebennack), Doyle Bramhall II, and Burnett's often used rhythm section of drummer Jay Bellerose and Dennis Crouch on bass keep a taut yet easygoing lock on the groove. That's particularly evident on the predominantly acoustic version of Skip James' "Devil Got My Woman." The horns that appear on five tunes never overpower the sound yet help propel Allman's soul-searing performance of Bland's "Blind Man." Ditto for Otis Rush's slow blues "Checking on My Baby," which brings the vocalist back to his "Stormy Monday"-styled beginnings. One original co-written with Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes, "Just Another Rider," while not a terrible song, pales in comparison with the rest of the material and could have been saved for the next Brothers album, where it might make a better fit. Allman is credited with B-3 on the majority of the tunes, but his contributions are generally mixed so low as to be nearly inaudible. His organ can be heard on a low-down run-through of Amos Milburn's "Tears, Tears, Tears" that captures a sweet, jazzy noir West Coast blues. It adds up to Allman's best and surely most focused and cohesive solo release, and one where the template can hopefully be repeated in less time than it took this to appear. ~ Hal Horowitz

Product Details

Release Date: 01/18/2011
Label: Rounder / Rounder Records
UPC: 0011661221529
Rank: 58949

Tracks

  1. Floating Bridge
  2. Little by Little
  3. Devil Got My Woman
  4. I Can't Be Satisfied
  5. Blind Man
  6. Just Another Rider
  7. Please Accept My Love
  8. I Believe I'll Go Back Home
  9. Tears, Tears, Tears
  10. My Love Is Your Love
  11. Checking on My Baby
  12. Rolling Stone

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Gregg Allman   Primary Artist,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals
Tata Vega   Vocals (Background)
Dennis Crouch   Bass (Acoustic)
Colin Linden   Dobro
Doyle Bramhall II   Guitar
Mac Rebennack   Piano
Daniel Fornero   Trumpet
Tom Peterson   Sax (Baritone)
Darrell Leonard   Trumpet,Conductor,Trumpet (Bass)
T-Bone Burnett   Guitar
Bill Maxwell   Conductor
Jay Bellerose   Drums,Percussion
Mike Compton   Mandolin,Vocals (Background)
Alfie Silas-Durio   Vocals (Background)
Judith Hill   Vocals (Background)
Thomas Peterson   Sax (Baritone)
Jim Thompson   Sax (Tenor)
Jean Witherspoon   Vocals (Background)
Joseph Sublett   Sax (Tenor)
Hadley Hawkensmith   Guitar
Lester Lovitt   Trumpet
Vincent Esquer   Guitar

Technical Credits

Gregg Allman   Arranger,Composer
Samuel Maghett   Composer
Skip James   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Sleepy John Estes   Composer
B.B. King   Composer
Bobby "Blue" Bland   Composer
Larry Jenkins   Management
Gavin Lurssen   Mastering
Don Robey   Composer
Warren Haynes   Composer
Mac Rebennack   Arranger
Joseph Scott   Composer
Sam Ling   Composer
Danny Clinch   Photography
Nehemiah James   Composer
Mike Piersante   Mixing,Engineer
Kyle Ford   Engineer
Muddy Waters   Composer
Darrell Leonard   Horn Arrangements
T-Bone Burnett   Arranger,Producer
Amos Milburn   Composer
Bill Maxwell   Vocal Arrangement
John Adam Estes   Composer
Otis Rush   Composer
Nehemiah "Skip" James   Composer
Emile Kelman   Editing
Vanessa Parr   Engineer
Junior Wells   Composer
Jason Wormer   Editing
Ivy Skoff   Production Coordination
Larissa Collins   Design,Art Direction
Paul Ackling   Guitar Technician
Michael Lehman   Management
Joseph Wade Scott   Composer
Melvin London   Composer
Zachary Dawes   Engineer
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