Gregg Allman: Old Country Blues (2011)

I think it would be impossible to name a better white male soul singer in history than Gregg Allman. His work with the Allman Brothers Band is legendary and -- after a large period of inactivity in the 80's -- they are still a major recording and (especially) touring draw. It's easy to think of The Allman's as a group that's primarily focused on instrumentation and while that's true, Gregg's voice has been the one constant in their career and a very important piece of the puzzle. While Gregg had some very good solo albums during the bands 70's heyday, his solo career has not been resurrected to the same level of that of the Allman Brothers Band. Old Country Blues isn't going to be a multi-platinum best seller but it is a highly enjoyable collection of songs that fans of the band will love.

Produced by the ever busy T-Bone Burnett (this where I'd usually list a bunch of his work but there's so much recently it's easier to do this), Old Country Blues is consisted primarily of obscure blues covers -- I'm not an old blues expert but I have listened to my fair share and I recognize 3 of these songs -- with one original ("Just Another Rider") holding down the middle. T-Bone's production style is immediately recognizable in the opening seconds of "Floating Bridge." The sparse sound is unmistakably Burnett and fits the material very well. Even though the sound has the sort of empty vibe you'd expect from his production style, there is a lot of stuff going on in almost every song. Horns, multiple organs and guitars as well as female backup singers are prominent throughout the recordings. Gregg's voice is in fine form and he sounds practically rejuvenated at times. On songs like "Little By Little," "Checking on My Baby" and "Please Accept My Love," I'd swear it was the early 70's version of Allman singing, not a 60 year old man.

The only small complaint I have with Old Country Blues is that the songs tend to bleed together a bit. It's a fantastic album from start to finish and it flows amazingly well but distinguishing which track you're listening to while it's playing isn't always easy. I'm not familiar enough with Allman's solo catalog to say exactly where this would rank but I'm pretty confident that it's his best one since at least 1977 and holds up there with the best of not only his solo work but also with the Allman Brothers Band. Any fan of The Allman's, or just roots, blues and soul music in general should greatly enjoy it.


Rating 4.5/5


Track Listing:

1. "Floating Bridge" (4:45)
2. "Little by Little" (2:45)
3. "Devil Got My Woman" (4:52)
4. "I Can't Be Satisfied" (3:31)
5. "Blind Man" (3:46)
6. "Just Another Rider" (5:39)
7. "Please Accept My Love" (3:07)
8. "I Believe I'll Go Back Home" (3:49)
9. "Tears, Tears, Tears" (4:54)
10. "My Love Is Your Love" (4:14)
11. "Checking On My Baby" (4:06)
12. "Rolling Stone" (7:04)