Atlanta Rhythm Section
Red Tape

Poor Barry Bailey, supreme guitarist, agrees to appear on the cover of this fifth effort of his southern rock band operating in Macon, Georgia; it's just that you only see the golden Gibson Les Paul Deluxe and his skillful hands and arms playing it. Instead of his torso and face, there is a tape recorder with... some tape rewinding problems.

"Red tape," because the record is decidedly rock, this time with limited concessions to the single good for everyone's tastes or almost, namely the intriguing ballads, generally conceived by the group's singer Ronnie Hammond.

"Jukin’/San Antonio Rose" is a brisk 100% southern rock'n'roll, just to break the ice with liveliness; but far more significant is the subsequent "Mixed Emotions," the first boogie of the batch, with the typical scheme of two guitars positioned at the far extremes of the stereo image, joyfully bouncing with rhythm while vocals and solos alternate in the center: simple but engaging.

"Shanghied" (what a title!) is also beautifully compact, always with the two solos paired to create rock blues; this time, however, there are bursts of sweetness in the vocals and choruses, a contrast that is pleasing. And it is broken by the siren of a patrol car for the start of the next "Police! Police," which however, despite the intriguing title and opening, flows anonymously without shame or praise.

"Beautiful Dreamers" is the first and only slow song, a predictable and routine ballad, anything but ugly, of course. But "Oh What A Feeling" sounds much better, made interesting by rhythmic irregularities that raise attention, while reducing its commercial appeal. Barry Bailey's lead guitar begins to perform torrents of notes, which is unusual, given the musician's always so lyrical and sculpted phrasing.

"Section Free Spirit" is rocky, vaguely Rolling Stones-like (apart from the voice, of entirely different worlds) and leaves no trace, but it sets the stage for the final, titanic "Another Man’s Woman," the highlight of the album and destined to become a constant encore in this noble band's concerts: an initial riff carved in obsidian, a giant rock blues-like progression that expands in the chorus but then returns tense and shaped for the other verses.

At four and a half minutes, it would have all ended... Not a chance, drum break and the jam session starts. Which here in the studio pilots the track up to almost ten minutes... Live they would stretch it to twenty, on inspired nights: bass solo, duel between the two guitarists... you could say just like the Allman Brothers, but a tad more rock. It's the classic number fully enjoyable under a stage but it also works recorded in the studio, for its melodic and harmonic quality.

We're still at four stars... If it weren't for "Another Man’s Woman," it would have been a step back compared to the previous work "Dog Days." But "Another Man’s Woman" is here, concluding the tracklist in the best way; and thus the overall judgment is that they hold firm and reaffirm, for now, the more than good record performance of the most recent previous works.