With another decade behind them, the blue-eyed revivalists of the 60s have steadfast become old bluesmen themselves. Seemingly a rite-of-passage to immortalise their idols in the shape of what could cynically be passed off as ‘another cover album’, Low Country Blues – Gregg Allman’s first solo release in 14 years – is nevertheless a masterful lesson of the idiom.
No doubt best remembered for his string of albums with The Allman Brothers Band in the 1970s, fans of the group’s bluesy, melodic rock will have to readjust their ears for this swaying country-blues sortie. Gregg’s wonderful Hammond organ playing has not faltered; a fact which belies his rock ‘n’ roll wear and tear, six marriages and a liver transplant. While his vocals sound at times a little thin, exposed through T-Bone Burnett’s austere, ‘antique’ production, the raw passion of that blues-growl sit comfortably on darker standards like Skip James’ ‘Devil Got My Woman’.
Low Country Blues is too entertainingly diverse, though, to submit to embrace of one all-encompassing style. Jetting in 60s and 70s legends BB King and Otis Rush, the brass band and lead guitar on ‘Please Accept My Love’ and ‘Checking on My Baby’ are both faithful renditions, while ‘Blind Man’'s big-band swing is a proud nod to the finest hours of Bobby Bland. These are all, of course, the crème de la crème of blues howlers, but Allman holds his own throughout, soaring above his band’s vibrant ensemble playing.
Closing with an extended jam around Muddy Waters’ ‘Rolling Stone’, all whiskey-soaked barstool clatter and slide guitar, our trip across the Mississippi delta is over…fortunately, the Gods of the CD player created ‘the repeat button’. While it would be easy to cast this off as irrelevant in an age of iPods, checked shirts and alco-pops, the sheer passion with which it is delivered is a faithful reminder that once upon a time, the music mattered above all else.
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