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Blues Underground Network |
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Gregg Allman "Low Country
Blues"
Before starting this
review, I first went to Billboard to check out the week's
top-selling blues albums. Once again I found Gregg Allman's "Low Country
Blues" at #1, the same position the Album debuted in, which of
course was no surprise, nor should it be for anyone whom knows
the music that Gregg has been responsible for putting
out over his career, both as a solo artist and his
continuing relationship with the Legendary Allman Brothers
band.
"Low Country Blues" is Gregg Allman's
first solo recording in over 13 years and it is a recording that almost
did not happen. With the passing of his producer, Tom Dowd, Gregg did not
spend much time at all in the Studio over the last few years, and if it
wasn't for the timely introduction to the Grammy winning T-Bone Burnett,
it may have certainly been a lot longer, if ever, before he had a new solo
release. Skeptical at first, Gregg Allman's mind was
but at ease once he found out that T-Bone
was a huge fan of Tom Dowd and that he "patterned
a lot of my stuff after that
gentleman".
Friendship between Allman
and Burnett quickly grew and the project that became "Low Country
Blues" was sparked when T-Bone gave Gregg 20 old blues songs from a
hard drive someone had given him which contained an amazing 10,000
"obscure blues songs" on it. From that point on, the project with
renewed excitement from Gregg Allman, moved along quickly and by early 2010 they
pretty well had the Album complete and ready for release by the middle of
2010, but that was not to be, which was not because of bad news, but
because of great news. You see, Gregg was notified that he was a
candidate for a donor liver and in June of
2010, he underwent a transplant at the famed Mayo Clinic. The
rest, as they say, continues to be
history.
"Low Country Blues" consists of
12 Tracks, 11 of which are Covers of some of the finest old blues to
be found, from a literal who's who of Legends whom have carved a deep
crevice into the history of the Blues, which include Sleepy John Estes,
Junior Wells, Skip James, Muddy Waters, Bobby Bland, BB King, Amos
Milburn, Samuel Maghett, and Otis Rush. Two of the 11 Covers are credited simply
as Traditional. T-Bone's job for Gregg was to take these very old songs
and interpret them into a more present feel. This was a task that Gregg
took like a fish takes to water, and in doing so he managed to dust off
11 great old songs and give them a
brand new coat of paint. Besides the 11 Covers,
Gregg Allman, along with his longtime Allman Brothers Band Guitarist Warren
Haynes, wrote 1 original called "Just Another
Rider".
Besides Gregg Allman, the other
performers on "Low Country Blues" include T-Bone Burnett (Guitar), Doyle
Bramhall II (Guitar), Dennis Crouch (Upright Bass), and Jay Bellerose
(Drums). "Low Country Blues" also included a Brass Section featuring
Darrell Leonard as arranger and composer. In addition to all that great
talent, there was one whom was the icing on the cake, as far as Gregg was
concerned, and that was none other than his very dear friend, Dr John (Mac
Rebennack), on of course, the Piano.
There are certainly a lot of
words that can describe the making of "Low Country Blues", but one that
was perhaps a little foreign to Gregg Allman was "spontenaity", a word
not overly cherished amongst perfectionist, but one that all those around
him pushed for, hence a lot of the tracks were either 1 or 2 takes. Gregg did
try to take time perfecting or at least thinking he could perfect some of
the Tracks, but it always came back to the original first or second take,
that he simply had to admit, he could not improve on.
A lot of people are saying that "Low
Country Blues", is yet another highwater benchmark in what has already
been a legendary career. In one review I seen that even
Gregg himself says, "among the best things he has ever recorded", and I
certainly agree. From the opening track called Floating Bridge (Sleepy
John Estes) to Blind Man (Bobby Bland), these first 5 Covers set the tone
for what you can expect for the remainder of the Album, and the last 6
Tracks from Please Accept My Love (BB King) to Rolling Stone (Traditional)
completely seal the deal, leaving no doubt in your mind that not only
were all the Covers done magnificently, but that they may have also
turned out as being better than the original, and I doubt there would be
few that would disagree. Lets also not forget that in the middle of it all, there is the one
original, Just Another Rider, that not only sounds perfectly written for "Low
Country Blues", but it is also very much at home on this
Album, taking us back to the late 60's early 70's, with the feel
of a great Allman Brothers
song.
If there was any atonement that Gregg
Allman had to make for perhaps a few ebbs from previous releases, "Low
Country Blues", has put those critics to rest. It is certainly a
milestone for Gregg and it could not have come at a better time, for all of us. "Low Country Blues"will find
itself at the very top of a lot of the awards
when they are dealt out for this years releases. It is a
very special Album from a very special Artist, whom has not forgotten
his roots or his
fans.
I enthusiastically give "Low Country Blues" my highest rating of 5*****. Highly
Recommended and Thoroughly Enjoyed. "Low Country Blues" is a must have Album
for any blues lovers
collection.
Review by
John Vermilyea (Blues Underground
Network)
Additional Info
Tracklist
1. Floating Bridge (Sleepy John
Estes)
2. Little By Little (Junior Wells) 3. Devil Got My Woman (Skip James) 4. I Can't Be Satisfied (Muddy Waters) 5. Blind Man (Bobby Bland) 6. Just Another Rider (Gregg Allman & Warren Haynes) 7. Please Accept My Love (BB King) 8. I Believe I'll Go Back Home (Traditional) 9. Tears Tears Tears (Amos Milburn) 10. My Love is Your Love (Samuel Maghett) 11. Checking On My Baby (Otis Rush) 12. Rolling Stone (Traditional) Listen To Samples Here... Websites: http://www.facebook.com/GreggAllman http://www.myspace.com/greggallman9
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