Sábado 15 Ene 2011, 0:38

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Gregg's voice is one of the most unique in all of rock. The Allman Brothers Band were the first Rock band to truly represent the Southern spirit and character, and his voice was front in center along with the twin guitar duties of his late brother Duane and Dickey Betts. The band has changed, disbanded, and reformed in many different configurations, but his voice has been the constant in it's 40-year history.

But less constant has been his solo career. Since 1973, he has released 6 studio and 1 live record. Not to mention the record he put out with his then-wife Cher, one that lasted as long on the charts as their marriage. The records were mostly (with the exception of his first, the varied Laid Back) slickly produced affairs ready-made for Rock radio. Good songs, but little of the adventurous drive of his work with the ABB.

But now, 14 years after his last album, he comes back with the slow-burning Low Country Blues. It's a love letter to the genre that affected him and his music most. Produced by T-Bone Burnett, it has an atmosphere unique not to just his solo work, but his work as a whole. And again, the common thread that brings it together are those golden pipes that have been belting out his brand of blues and rock for 5 decades.

The first song I came back to after listening to it as a whole was his take on Skip James' "Devil Got My Woman". His voice eerily is reminiscent of James' own recording of it in 1966, when he was only a few years older than Gregg is now. It starts with his voice and a dobro, and gives way to a steady beat by his band (among them, Dr. John and Doyle Bramhall II) which then ends as it began, a subtle reminder of where it really all began.

Also of particular note, is the one original song "Just Another Rider" (co-written with recent ABB mainstay Warren Haynes). An obvious nod to "Midnight Rider", it tackles the theme of the rider on the endless road with the world-weary view of the man who first performed the song some 40 years ago.

Ending with a rendition of Muddy Waters' "Rolling Stone", the primal beat and scratchy dobro give appropriate support to Gregg's vocal. It's one that has aged well, and still echoes of the young man who first came to our collective attention in the 70's.

The effort as a whole is hopefully a sign of things to come, as the news of a new ABB record, produced by Burnett will come at the heels of this. But on it's own, it's a triumph for an artist who's previous track record as a solo career has been met with mixed blessings. And, at least to my ears, the first great album of 2011.