Atlanta Rhythm Section
Truth In A Structured Form

My favorite southern rock group is this sextet based in Doraville, Georgia. Their very rounded and clear style, full of class and restraint, has its absolute strengths in the sexy voice (!) of frontman Ronnie Hammond and in the Gibson De Luxe, in name and in fact, of the most brilliant instrumentalist of the formation, the soloist Barry Bailey. Unlike their genre cousins, ARS willingly shuns extreme and multilayered guitar rides, of the lysergic type (Allman Brothers) or flashy (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet). The group composes and arranges songs divinely, many very compact, some decidedly light and linear, others more substantial, in which the instrumentalists have their spotlight and, without ever overdoing it, demonstrate all their class. It's an adult and restrained southern, warm and sweet but tough, passionate, lyrical, and engaging. This album has a misleadingly rough and approximate cover, yet contains refined and passionate music. For some reason, it is my favorite by this band, among the dozen or so released over thirty years. The songwriting remains consistently high, some guitar riffs are pure fire, a couple of ballads are disarmingly lyrical and tasteful. There are no surprises or fireworks; the show is this sincere, sulfurous American music, with the lessons of the Stones and the Beatles, country and blues, fused together by sensitive and skilled musicians, more focused on the overall result than personal highlights. The outcome is classic rock with the scent of the southern United States, to dive into with trust and time, for at first listen, it might seem like ordinary rock; but giving it more chances, it’s easy to become deeply fond of it. Listen to Bailey's sharp and savory guitar in "Listen To The Wind", the two guitars in unison laying down a driving riff in "Every Little Bit Hurts", the trembling melody of "What Happened To Us" with Hammond describing a departure with grand words and interpretation. And more, the urbanity and tonal exploration of "Neon Streets", and the absolute, charming atmospheric competence of "I'm Not The Only One". Class is the first word associated with this group, to whom I'm grateful for a dozen wonderful songs (a couple from this album) that permanently reside in my heart, hidden treasures to share, unfortunately or fortunately, with a restricted Italian circle of devotees.