| The Double Shot Band (self-titled) Dixee Records *** Southern Rock Allstars (Crazy Again) Tazer Records *** Watts Left (Shot in the Dark) Subtle Chaos Records **1/2 Southern rock was a power to be reckoned with back in the 70�s and 80�s with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Marshall Tucker Band, and The Allman Brothers kicking ass and taking names. Then you had Molly Hatchet, Black Foot, Sea Level, The Dixee Dregs, Little Feat, The Charlie Daniel�s band, and a host of lesser knowns that kept the rebel-yells at top volume and the bic lighters burning up the arenas during the encores. Then, something happened. The Bands lost their spark, later albums showed poor sales and many bands either broke up or where disrupted by tragedies beyond their control. Now in the 90�s you�ll find your self hard-pressed to find southern rock music like we had back then. Where�s �Give Me Three Steps� or �Gator Country�? Where�s �Train, Train� or �The Devil Went Down To Georgia�? There are a couple of Southern Rock Bands that are new like Government Mule and The Allman�s still put out an album here and there, -but that jamming, riding around getting trashed, listening to the 8-track player Southern Rock -just seems to have faded away somewhat. Well not completely. There are a few die-hard bands out there on small or independent labels that refuse to give up that Southern Pride. The Double Shot Band From Savannah, Georgia blend rock, blues and country and bring to mind the more mellow southern rock sounds of Marshall Tucker and the like. They�ve been on the road since 1988 and have played gigs in every state of the Union except Hawaii, and in many other countries all over the World. They�ve won several awards and have appeared on WJCL TV in Savannah. A large fan base assures their rising popularity. The band consists of founding members Nick Graham on lead, slide guitar and dobro, Joe Kicklighter on rhythm guitar, and Jim Mckinnon on bass guitar. These three all sing lead vocals to good effect of differing songs. The Band is rounded out with Mike Rowland on drums and Danny Jones on keyboards. I found every song on their debut album really good. Tight musicianship, interesting lyrics, and creative use of influences make for a fine listening experience. All of the songs are originals and the opening cut �Never Meant to Hurt Me� is particularly cool. Next in my Southern Rock Triumvirate are The Southern Rock Allstars who consist of former members of Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot, and the Rossington Collins Band. We have Dave Hlubek on lead and slide guitar and vocals (Molly Hatchet), Jakson Spires on drums and vocals (Blackfoot), Jay Johnson on lead guitar and vocals (Rossington Collins Band), and Charles Hart on bass and vocals (Cruize Control and Tempera). These guys decided to do it all themselves and the hell with the P.R. people tellin� them what to do. Crazy Again is a really decent album. All of the album�s cuts contain original material and though I found a few clich�s, and uninspired lyrics here and there, most of the material really kicked ass. �Train of Sorrow�, �Traveller�, and the title cut �Crazy Again� were personal favorites. There�s a lot of electrifying guitar pyrotechnics and a lot of the cuts bring to mind the old Hatchett and Blackfoot albums that I loved so well.(and still do!) I look forward to The next Southern Rock Allstars album, but I hope they let go of some of the ballad stuff and go for a more striking, hard-rock sound. Last but not least, we have Watt�s Left (no pun intended). Now these guys are from Asheboro, North Carolina and you can tell they grew up true to the southern rock life-style. They remind me of the type of dudes I used to hang around with back when we listened to Skynyrd in the 8-track tape deck in my car while cruising around getting trashed. Wes Nance is the head-dog of this bunch and his lead guitar work and vocals really bring back the good sounds of southern fried rock and roll. This is the grits. Though I can definitely see room for refinement on future releases, the band is tight and the all-original song selections are each decent reflections of Watt�s Left�s Southern-Rock idols. You definitely hear Molly Hatchet�s full force guitar attack on the opening cut �Come and See Me�. The only thing I can find wrong with this rip-roaring aural assault is that it�s too short. Other songs on the album remind me of early Skynyrd, and 38 Special comes through on several tunes. The title track �Shot in the Dark� reminded me of an Ozzy Osbourne song set to a southern rock sound. Weird, but it works. These guys really know how to jam and if they�re ever in my neck of the woods, I�ll dig up my old 8-track player, slip in a Skynyrd Tape and pass �em the bong. Until next time, have a bud on me, give a rebel yell, and keep the Pride in Dixee. |