Tony Joe White Bad Mouthin’ (Yep-Roc) Tony Joe
white has been one of my favorite songwriters for as long as I can re- member, starting with “Poke Salad
Annie” and “Rainy Night in Georgia” back in 1967. The new album is blues based , and blends original songs and blues classics,even including of the first songs he ever wrote, back in the days before his first hit. The 75-year-old singer songwriter turns
in most of these songs featuring only his ‘65 Fender Stratocaster guitar, harmonica and a stomping foot for keeping time, backing his swampy, low down, one of a kind vocals. White pours outs his heart and soul
into every song, whether it be a cover of Jimmy Reed’s “Big Boss Man” or Charley Pat- ton’s “Dow the Dirty Road Blues.” Tony Joe also nails the emotion of Lightnin’ Hop- kins’”Awful Dreams.” Of course, the truth is, his original songs are just as well crafted as the classics - from “Stockholm Blues” to he tile track, “Bad Mouthin,’” a story of an abu- sive lover, to “Cool Town Woman” and “Sun- down Blues,” the songs are all great, just like we have come to expect from White. Tony Joe closes out this impressive re-
lease with a bluesy rendition of “Heartbreak Hotel.” Yep. the same song made popular by Elvis. It’s another winner from a true classic artist, Tony Joe White.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Southern Halo Just Like in the Movies (Southern Halo) The three sisters that
make up Southern Halo are in their teens, although one of them recently crossed over into the twenties.
Growing up Mississippi, the young girls were quick to latch onto music as a way of life. The elder sister, Natalia took up piano, beginning lessons at age 6, while Hannah took up bass guitar and Christina (“Tinya”) became a drum- mer. Their harmonies were magic from the out- set, and those same vocals became a huge part of the group’s overall sound. Their original 2014 debut came in the
form of an EP produced by none other than Jeff Cook of Alabama, and they followed it up with a self-titled debut album produced by famed songwriters Gerald O’Brien and Catt Gravitt in 2015. The girls say that the new album, Just
Like in the Movies, is a concept album, with all of the songs fitting together like puzzle pieces. Make no mistake, the album is filled with great songs, including “Southern Halo,” a very good one. It’s kind of cool when a band has a song that shares the name of the group. Especially a song so good. Every song is a winner. The harmonies
are pitch perfect on the song about missing home, “Missing Mississipi.” “My Girls and Me” has a cool rocking beat that sets up an autobio- graphical tale of the band’s beginnings. I hear some Dixie Chicks influence as well as a bit of Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. As they sing “You can try if you like/But there’s just no stoppin’ my girls and me,” one gets the feeling that they mean it. They have the youth, the beauty and most importantly, the talent to go straight to the top. Make a note of it, the next big thing in country pop is blonde - times three.
-Michael Buffalo Smith 41
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