38 Special
Resolution

Six long and difficult years pass between the ninth and this tenth studio work by 38 Special, dated 1997. The cover makes it clear: only four survivors of the original sextet have reunited, obviously under the aegis of a minor record label since the big music business has shifted elsewhere, to give life to a generous dozen new songs.

On the left, the band’s longtime bassist Larry Junstrom sports his mustache. He’s always been there, ever since the first album in 1977, after having been part of the first Lynyrd Skynyrd lineup years before, though he left that group before their legendary debut album. Still, he left his mark, which can be found in the compilations of early recordings released later on.

Next to him, sitting cross-legged, is the resurrected guitarist, singer and songwriter Don Barnes, who had left the band for a couple of albums and now, having seen his solo career falter, has come back to the fold. And poor Max Carl, who had taken his place and role? At home… Years later, he would join Grand Funk Railroad (!), replacing Mark Farner who was booted out for being too much of a religious fanatic… incredible! I believe he’s still with them, touring the USA playing the ‘70s repertoire of the Flint, Michigan legends.

The blond guy with the hat and the Zucchero look is Donnie Van Zant: distant Dutch origins, the tough, magnetic older brother who died ten years earlier in a bizarre way: the pilot of the plane flying his Lynyrd Skynyrd band to a concert had forgotten to refuel! The emergency landing in the middle of the countryside went horribly wrong. He still has his younger brother, who’s been singing for almost forty years now with the reformed Lynyrd.

The last one on the right is another guitarist named Danny Chauncey who has only been in the band for a few years, first replacing Barnes and now Jeff Carlisi, who just left, creating an unfillable gap. And the drummer? They have a couple of drummers on a freelance basis, outsiders to the 38 Special collective—one played on the album and another accompanies them live.

The album is decent but not outstanding compared to their best work. At least, the electronic keyboards and flat ‘80s sounds are gone; it’s all a showcase of bass, drums, and guitars. But it’s lacking inspired ideas, driving tracks, the genuine energy of a healthy band rather than one at dusk.

In my opinion, the best track is the second one, “Just Can’t Leave You Alone,” but why is the punchy, staccato riff played on acoustic instead of electric? Still, great chords, great melody… Don Barnes at his best, plus Chauncey’s sensual slide work. But it’s an exception; many songs are essentially anonymous and lack any standout features.

Still, honorable mentions go to the rich, saturated guitar tones on “Find My Way Back,” the earthy country-folk vibe of “Changed by Love” (there really are a lot of acoustic guitars on this record, after they’d been quite sparingly used on all nine earlier works), and the lively, stop-and-go boogie of “She Loves to Talk.”

This is the band’s most “laid-back” album, for the most part semi-acoustic and introspective. Don Barnes’s creative limitation—back in the ranks and instantly dominant again—is always the same: he writes great verses that then get watered down in the choruses. The band manages to regain their sonic luster and still exudes class (great sounds and production!), but those valuable albums full of iconic riffs and brilliant solos are now a distant memory.