Blackberry Smoke: Be Right Here

Say the phrase Southern rock and your mind automatically conjures up memories of The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, et al. Fair enough, but that was all a long, long time ago, and it’s not like the South stopped rocking when those guys faded away. Blackberry Smoke is all about keeping Southern rock alive, and they’ve been doing so since the turn of the century, but in their own, more contemporary, way. Be Right Here, the group’s Dave Cobb-produced eighth studio album, exudes Georgia-ness; it practically smells like peach pie. But this is the sound of the South nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century: The guitars are still direct and loud but the riffs are more pronounced and finely tapered, and the rhythms are chunky without being clunky. Be Right Here is more about songs than jams, although, make no mistake, these guys can play. And while the blues are always in there, Blackberry Smoke casts a wider net, willingly touching on influences they find all over the place. Twin guitars? Sure, but they are tougher and gruffer than their predecessors. “Dig a Hole,” the first single and opening track on the album—written by singer Charlie Starr and keyboardist Brandon Still— sets the tone without compromise. The guitars clomp, the rhythm section stomps; it’s hard alright but it doesn’t forgo melody. But it’s not all one big assault either. “Other Side of the Light” is just as pretty as a ballad gets, and “Azalea” finds a sweet spot where funk and sweet country share the same air. Song for song, Be Right Here is what Blackberry Smoke has been heading toward all along.