38 Special
Special Delivery

A beautiful cover (once you open it up, including the back) by Neon Park, the artist behind the early Little Feat covers, introduces the second album by 38 Special (1978), very similar to the first: same qualities, same limitations. The lead vocals are once again exclusively entrusted to the friendly, country-bluesy tone of frontman Donnie Van Zant, but it's the last time before he will be joined, and soon overtaken, by Don Barnes, one of the two guitarists.

The album’s strengths are its strong yet balanced and clean sound, the drive of the rhythm section, and the skill and chemistry between the two guitarists, Barnes and Jeff Carlisi. The flaws lie in the… mediocrity of the content, which is certainly more than sufficient, but ultimately far from thrilling.

I’ll focus on something from each of the eight songs: the opener “I’m a Fool for You” is a bouncing boogie that immediately showcases guest Billy Powell, pianist for the Lynyrd Skynyrd: everything fits, but the melody is banal. On “Turnin’ to You,” with its uptempo rhythm, there’s a predictable riff but a nice solo by Barnes. You end up paying more attention to the guitars than to the vocals… Donnie doesn’t have the charisma of his brother; he’s a different type, less attractive and less charismatic.

“Travelin’ Man” is once again a boogie, cheerful and syncopated, with the usual tired lyrics about traveling, long roads, etc.: the lead guitars in harmony are really cool. “I Been a Mover” is boring, but after a stop, Carlisi’s lone solo attack bursts in, with a giant vibrato on the G string full of passion. You can sense—if only slightly just yet—the drift towards an adulterated and accessible southern rock; bearing witness to this is the arpeggiated and enveloping “What Can I Do,” essentially a semi-ballad.

The pulsating Florida boogie returns with the tight “Who’s Been Messin’”, embellished with female backing vocals and a brief duel of lead guitars; as usual, the vocal line is simplistic—a pity, because guitars, bass, and drums are really on fire. In “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down,” albino Edgar Winter blows a furious sax, another high-profile guest.

The final track “Take Me Back” takes a lyrical turn, starting with a 12-string arpeggio and Powell’s delicate keyboard, which embellishes and digs into the emotions. Then everything settles into a fully orthodox ballad but, once again, predictable and stereotyped, especially in the gospel vocals that go wild from the middle to the end, with that highly mannered, “negritude” vibrato.

“Special Delivery” is a good step forward compared to their debut album, but we’re still not at a level of excellence or distinctiveness. For many die-hard fans—the “blood, sweat, and shit” crowd—this album and the debut are the best this band has to offer. I think they’re dead wrong… 38 Special will fully find their personal style, as well as their high quality, by taking a step back from the raw southern rock proper, introducing solid elements of melodic hard rock, but above all by sharpening their riffs, vocal melodies, sounds, and arrangements with class and inventiveness.

And this will happen immediately, unequivocally, with the next album—namely the aforementioned “Rockin’ into the Night,” which will bring them into the charts and firmly set the course for their entire subsequent career.