Blackberry Smoke
Be Right Here

THE REVIEW

The eighth and currently latest album by the Georgian Southern rock band, undoubtedly the best in their field, was released at the beginning of this year and fully confirms their class and strength.

“Dig a Hole” opens with a decent hard rock blues that moves with a solid groove in the verses and then opens up with choirs in the chorus. “Hammer and the Nail” is a hard rock track not very melodically inspired, finding its strength in the incisive guitar sounds. “Like It Was Yesterday” is well adorned with impactful slide guitar and proceeds with very classic and orthodox melodies (from the perspective of rock made in the USA), in the style of Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty. “Be So Lucky” is the first to break out of the Southern mold by increasing the melodic component and features a convincing guitar solo.

“Azalea” is acoustic and is the first marvel of the album. Charlie Starr sings with a captivating and passionate voice, delivering a beautiful and inspired melody embellished with mandolin and organ embellishments. The album really takes off with the very choral and strong Southern rock number “Don’t Mind If I Do”, only to slow down again with the remarkable “Watcha Know Good”, a intimate song with a languid and suggestive slide guitar, pure class.

“Other Side of Night” possesses the gaiety and lightness of the Dobbie Brothers, a very “Californian” feel, semi-acoustic, and adorned with beautiful, surprising chord changes. In contrast, the following “Little Bit Crazy” opens with a soul/gospel a cappella choir and then proceeds boastfully and accessibly to a rock’n’roll tempo. It’s the easiest and most commercial episode of the album, but delightful… listen to the guitar solo with Leslie effect. Closing with “Barefoot Angel”, lyrical and languid in its fascinating three-quarter sway… A Southern waltz, with wonderful chord changes here and there, another peak of the album and a worthy finale.