Blackberry Smoke
Wolf Den
Uncasville, Connecticut
August 25, 2010
Tony Pijar
Blackberry Smoke is destined to be the undisputed heirs to the southern rock throne. The guys are from Georgia, home of the great Georgia Satellites and the Black Crowes, and predictably they have both bands’ feel and tone in their own music. They’re currently touring theatres as headliners, I believe, for the first time, and it’s about time. They cut their chops opening for the likes of ZZ Top and Skynyrd and are now ready to spread their wings. Kudos to the Wolf Den for bringing these guys in…and they did not disappoint.
Charlie Starr is the band’s focal point, handling the lead vocals and mostly all lead guitar parts, but that’s not to say the other guys, Brit and Richard Turner on drums and bass, Paul Jackson on rhythm guitar and recent addition on keys Brandon Still take a back seat; they don’t. All members shone in their own indelible way. With two full-length albums under their belt, we got a generous portion from both. The songwriting here is second to none. It’s not about mindless, lengthy chicken scratch solos we’ve come to expect from some southern rock bands. The songs are tight, punchy, and extremely accessible – a rarity amongst many southern rockers. “Testify,” “Sanctified Woman,” “Good one coming on,” and the song that’s getting a lot of airplay on southern radio and through NASCAR, “Up in Smoke”, are all sure-fire hits waiting to be discovered by the masses. And let me tell you, they sounded great live; plenty of texture and fullness courtesy of Still and Jackson. “Freedom Song” and “Freeborn Man” were treasures live truly displaying what the band can do when they stretch out a bit.
As with any southern band, Blackberry Smoke delivered a high energy show that was raw and polished at the same time. They may look like rednecks from Georgia, and do have that innate southern charm, but they’re all business too. I guarantee that this band will be major stars ala Skynyrd, the Allmans, etc in a couple years – they’re that great!
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