Album Review: Blackberry Smoke - Be Right Here
Reviewed by Tim Finch
Three years after the release of ‘You Hear Georgia’, Blackberry Smoke are back with eighth studio album ‘Be Right Here’, released 16th February via 3 Legged Records.
The band play, both on record and live, with a real southern swagger. There’s a twang to their music that makes them unique and identifiable at the drop of a mere note. The new release kicks off with ‘Dig A Hole’ and that warm fuzzy feeling a Blackberry Smoke album gives you seeps back in immediately. Whilst slow paced, by the bands standards, the rasping vocals Charlie Starr and both his and Paul Jacksons guitar tone makes this slice of Americana unmistakable.
Recorded at Nashville's historic RCA Studio A and Cobb's Georgia Mae in Savannah, and with Grammy award winning producer Dave Cobb behind the desk, they have poured their heart and soul into this record. Recording live together in the same room, the album has a raw feel that gives it a life of its own. There’s no polish to the sound, it’s an old school feel that fits so well.
‘Hammer and the Nail’ is a wonderful foot-tapping, radio friendly anthem that is sure to be a staple of the live set for years to come. ‘Be So Lucky’ has a darker, grittier feel, a slow builder that ebbs and flows through its tale before peaking towards the end of the four minute run time.
Throughout the album the band have kept the foundations of a sound on which their reputation is built. Their huge fan base will lap up the release, but indeed this is an open book that will allow the newcomers to enter and be welcomed with open arms. ‘Don’t Mind If I Do’ with its heavy country feel a perfect example of Blackberry Smoke sticking with their roots and creating a new anthem that will stand the test of time.
We’re just a year away from the bands 25th anniversary, and album number eight proves there’s plenty of life in this old dog yet. The classic Blackberry Smoke sound wrapped up in ten new songs and over the course of 40 minutes, I challenge you not to embrace this album and the wonderful aura it creates.
