Atlanta Rhythm Section
Quinella

The Quinella is a type of bet played on horse races in America: you bet on a winning pair of horses and hit the mark when they place first and second, without distinction between one or the other. But "Quinella" is above all an excellent album of warm and flavorful Southern rock, among the best of the dozen published by this Georgia sextet with the lengthy name, starting from the self-titled debut in 1972 up until 1999, the year of their last studio work, "Eufaula".

It would be the best without question, and therefore one of the best Southern rock albums ever, if the high quality maintained from the first to the fifth track in the lineup continued until the end.... Instead, the album continues with a few filler episodes of lesser value and ends leaving an excellent aftertaste, but slightly diluted compared to the initial promises.

To have albums like this, nonetheless: it suddenly starts with the perfect-plus riff of "Homesick," exquisitely shaped by the Les Pauls of the two guitarists Barry Bailey and J.R. Cobb and the kicking Rickembacher bass of the hefty Paul Goddard (rest in peace: he passed away just last April). A stop and enters the warm, sexy, relaxed but soulful voice of the late Ronnie Hammond (alas... he succumbed to heart failure in 2011) who starts describing life on the road, concerts alongside other fellow champions of the genre like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Outlaws... a true celebration and a great rock and blues debut for this album.

The song that follows and titles the work is a funky rock blues in their manner, that is, very round and melodic and sly, albeit sparkling and agile. It creates a nice contrast with the following "Alien," which is instead a vigorous and rich ballad led by the harmonic Wurlitzer electric piano operated by the skilled hands of Dean Daughtry, a performance that soars towards the sublime when the bursts of lead guitar by the very talented Bailey intervene, a guy who has nothing to learn from any other guitarist in terms of feeling, touch care and choice of notes, phrasing melodic capacity, sound control, and even rhythmic fit.

"Higher" is an unusually fast-paced and tumultuous number for this band, let's say their way of touching hard rock while inevitably remaining melodic and captivating. They are people born within the padded walls of the recording studios of Atlanta and surroundings, since a young age accustomed to being flexible, precise, efficient, measured, and round... they simply can't be harsh and corrosive, not even when the rhythm moves at one hundred and fifty beats per minute. It's in their DNA to be musical and creamy in every circumstance.

The excellent quintet is closed by the great "You're So Strong," with the electric piano once again in evidence, even in the solo phase. The rest, as mentioned, is not indispensable to cite; there are also a couple of episodes where the group's proposal becomes considerably more intimate, aided in this by the acoustic guitar held by the singer, and indeed a bit sugary.

Like so many other historic American classic rock bands, the ARS are still touring the States, albeit in a largely revamped lineup (only the pianist Doughtry remains among the group's founders), bringing their classics, their skill, their small myth to the people.