Album Review — Blackberry Smoke — You Hear Georgia — 3 Legged Records/Thirty Tigers
Blackberry Smoke are back with their seventh full-length studio album just in time to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their formation. Joined by Grammy winning producer Dave Cobb in Nashville’s famed RCA Studio A, the band recorded and mixed “You Hear Georgia” in ten days.
Mr. Cobb wasn’t the only person alongside the band for the making of the album. Friends, Cowboy Eddie Long lent his renowned Pedal Steel talents to a track that also featured Jamey Johnson, “Lonesome For A Livin’” and Warren Haynes not only co-wrote but also lent his vocal & six string talents to “All Rise Again.”
Blackberry Smoke also added a third guitarist to the band, Benji Shanks as well as percussionist, Preston Holcomb. Many fans of the band will recognize Benji and Preston being they’ve toured with the band for the last few years. But wait, there’s more…The Black Betty’s, consisting of twin sisters Sherie and Sherita Murphy bring their angelic vocal stylings to the album. They’ve also performed numerous shows with the band, most notably their annual Thanksgiving tradition “Holiday Homecoming” concerts in Atlanta, GA.
01. Live It Down
02. You Hear Georgia
03. Hey Delilah
04. Ain’t The Same
05. Lonesome For A Livin’ (feat. Jamey Johnson and Cowboy Eddie Long)
06. All Rise Again (feat. Warren Haynes)
07. Old Enough To Know
08. Morningside
09. All Over The Road
10. Old Scarecrow
01. Live It Down – Starting off the album with such a scorching riff like the one here is always a good sign! Even better is when the song does not let up and that’s just what you’ll find here. Charlie’s delivery of the lyrics drips with attitude and swagger. The gang vocals in the chorus add a nice touch.
The funky lil breakdown before the guitar solo is a nice touch. Kudos to Brandon Still whose honky tonkin’ piano alongside the rhythm section of Richard and Brit Turner really shine here.
02. You Hear Georgia – Admittedly, the title track took me a few listens after its initial release as a single on February 24th to really get but once I got it, it stuck! I really digg the moodiness of the music and message. Benji’s slide work is just sick!
03. Hey Delilah – A funky Dr. John vibe and infectious groove on this ditty will have your foot tappin’ along to this tale of a subject we all know and love, wild women! Brandon and The Black Betty’s are the MVP’s of this track.
Check out the video for the track featuring Lesa “Yo-Yo” Worley then read about her here:
04. Ain’t The Same – A song co-written with former Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson about a friend of Charlie’s who is a Veteran and suffers from PTSD, “It’s the story of a young soldier going from one battlefield overseas to another kind of battlefield at home, and basically being forced to deal with it alone.” as Charlie explains.
Musically, it has a upbeat Tom Petty feel juxtaposed with such a heavy subject matter.
05. Lonesome For A Livin’ (feat. Jamey Johnson and Cowboy Eddie Long) – The perfect Country song! We are talkin’ REAL Country in the tradition of Waylon Jennings and George Jones not this Florida-Georgia Line & Luke Bryan crap clogging the airwaves.
Cowboy Eddie Long’s Pedal Steel adds so much to the song. The contrast between Charlie and Jamey’s vocals really bring the emotion of the lyrics out.
06. All Rise Again (feat. Warren Haynes) – Mr. Haynes resume speaks for itself and this pairing lives up to & exceeded my expectations. I really hope I get to see the band and Warren rip this one up live. It’s a slide guitar lovers dream!
07. Old Enough To Know – I have a bone to pick with Mr. Starr over the lyric “Don’t ever trust a grown man with a nickname. You will reap exactly what you sow.” *wink*
This is one of those songs that hit you in your soul. Sparse acoustic guitar, slide guitar, piano, percussion give this song a haunting melancholy vibe while the lyrics mournfully sung are a sense of reflection, loss and lessons learned.
08. Morningside – Kicking off with a sludgey distorted riff, this bluesy slow burn is such a stellar groove. I really like how Charlie’s vocals were recorded and panned to add to the atmosphere of the song. The triple guitar team of Paul, Benji and Charlie accent each other so well while Paul’s harmony vocals are the secret ingredient.
09. All Over The Road – A high octane rocker with some wicked slide guitar throughout. This should be a highlight of their live set for years to come and sounds great at maximum volume while tearin’ down the highway! Watch your speed though! *wink*
10. Old Scarecrow – Is the album coming to a close already? Co-written with Rickey Medlocke of Blackfoot and Lynyrd Skynyrd fame, it starts off some sweet Dobro pickin’ & kicks it up after the first verse. Love the effects used to accentuate the sweet slide solo.
In closing, the material is diverse in feel yet completely cohesive. Having been introduced to Producer Dave Cobb’s talents on Shooter Jennings & The 357’s debut “Put the “O” Back in Country,” I was stoked to find out he was producing Blackberry Smoke’s upcoming album. My expectations were exceeded on this album! I hope Blackberry Smoke and Dave Cobb will continue to collaborate.
It was recorded live, just the musicians and their tools of the trade & you FEEL it! No studio trickery here, just exceptional talent doing what they do best! This album is all killer, no filler! Play one…drink one…hot damn!!!
“You Hear Georgia” stream and download:
Check out BLACKBERRY SMOKE online here….
Category: Reviews
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