Adam Holt Kind of Blues (Zenith) Alabama’s Adam Holt
has a hot one on his hands. With Kind of Blues, Holt truly show- cases his trademark guitar sound- red hot
southern rock and blues, and his deeply soul soaked vocals. The songs run the gamunt, from the excellent country sound of “I’m Still Holding On” (at long last! Some honest to God country music that isn’t country pop!) and uptempo rock of “Mr. Morning Drive,” an apt tribute to the life of Holt’s wife’s grandfather, Jack Bell who was a radio personality for 50 years before retiring at age 90. Bell’s actual voice both opens and closes the track. The loan sound of an organ opens “Bobby,” one of the finest tracks on the album. The lyrically heavy song is set to an infectious southern rock groove with some downright scald- ing lead guitar from Holt. “Before I Trusted You” keeps things rocking with a kiss off to someone who quite obviously has forever lost his trust. “Give the Dog a Bone” opens with some
rockin’ honky tonk piano accented by guitar licks. The blues rock tune manages to put a whole new approach to using metaphors to talk about sex. You’ve got to love it. Holt gets very serious with “The Story Must Go On,” pledging to the ongoing fight for civil rights and racial equality in a day and age when African American churches are still being targeted and burned by racists. It’s a well written, important song. “The Bourgeoise” is a punch in the face to
corporate America, and Holt does a fine cover of Bob Dylan’s “Lay Lady Lay” to close out a fine set. Taken as a whole, Kind of Blues is easily
one of the finest albums of 2019 so far and will no doubt make many Best of the Year lists. Just very good music.
-Michael Buffalo Smith
Rattlebone World’s Gone Crazy For almost 50 years,
Southern rock music has thrived, but is too often spoken of like a bastard child. Gregg Allman rightly dis- missed the tag when-
ever he heard it applied to The Allman Brothers Band. But, it did hang suitably from the guitars and mic stands of many, some closely associated with the Allmans. Add Rat- tlebone to the ever-growing list of musicians who still crank their guitars and keys behind solid beats. Rattlebone boasts two direct links to
Southern rock legends in fellow Nashville res- idents Chris Anderson and Johnny Neel. Singer/guitarist Anderson spent considerable time with Grinderswitch and the Outlaws, and with Warren Haynes, co-wrote “Old Friend,” which appeared on the Brothers’ final album, Hittin’ The Note. Singer/key- boardist Neel was a member of The Allman Brothers Band for their most successful res- urrection in 1989. He co-authored four songs for their comeback album, Seven Turns. An- derson and Neel wrote every song on World’s Gone Crazy. With bassist Dennis Gulley and drummer Daryl Burgess, they shoot consis- tently, with the high caliber one would expect. “Don’t Go Down That Road” bursts
forth as an anthem of basic advice from a fa- ther to a son, and like an old rattletrap train running on nuclear power, ivories sparkling from its undercarriage. Anderson conveys the message powerfully, in an even, soulful voice. They address the obvious in the title song, but with rhythm and blues fire, and an Anderson guitar solo that’s like a bear trap. The sexy and funky “What a Man’s Made Of,” the New Orleans-celebratory “Party in the Street,” and the dreary “Should Have Seen it Coming,” each glow uniquely, but nevertheless flow molten as one. Johnny Neel sings the lead on
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