Simon RushworthBlackberry Smoke — Be Right Here (3 Legged Records)
Throughout this kaleidoscopic journey mapping Southern rock, Americana and country, there’s a strong sense of living for the moment.
Perhaps it’s because Blackberry Smoke’s previous long player, the jaunty You Hear Georgia, was recorded at the hight of the pandemic.
Maybe it’s due to the fact that drummer Brit Turner continues to battle a brain tumour.
Or it might just be that Blackberry Smoke appreciate their time is now.
Be Right Here (Right Now) could easily be the extended title of a delightful body of work that demands the listener drops everything and dives right in.
It’s one of those grab-you-by-the-balls records that’s all-consuming, utterly immersive and a joy to explore.
Charlie Starr boasts that happy knack of creating a rock and roll safe space behind one of the most authentic voices of the last 20 years.
And long-time Smokies will revel in the familiar vibe that’s underpinned eight consistently neat records since 2003.
Latterly, Brent Cobb’s subtle influence has helped develop the sound of a band that’s been on the brink of a breakthrough for a decade or more.
Be Right Here represents the full effect of that essential guiding light — the Grammy Award-winning producer prising every last drop of emotion from this tight knit group of Atlanta troubadours.
Sure, Cobb’s co-writes hep Starr shine.
But it’s his ability to blend the myriad talents of this seven-headed Southern Rock beast into something that’s as fluid as it’s tight.
“Yeah you always make it look so easy/you keep me coming back every time,” sings Starr on Little Bit Crazy.
We’ll always keep coming back to Blackberry Smoke but making records this good is far from easy.
Be Right Here for the ballads…and more
Ballads Azalea and Barefoot Angel — Be Right Here’s beautiful set closer — might be two of the most affecting Starr compositions to date.
The former, like Little Bit Crazy, is a dreamy co-write with long-time collaborator Travis Meadows that splits this statement work straight down the middle.
It includes the line ‘be right here’ and sounds like the glue that holds together both halves of an album that’s surely best enjoyed on vinyl.
The organ-driven Barefoot Angel is an ode to Starr’s wife but could have been written about the rock in any relationship.
Traditionally, love songs aren’t something Blackberry Smoke’s singer tends to trade in.
As the long-time currency of classic rock, and given the depth of the lyrical heft here, perhaps that should change.
Nevertheless, Starr’s far more comfortable whipping crowds into a call-to-arms frenzy and there are multiple festival-ready, feelgood anthems here.
Dig A Hole introduces that typically 70s-soaked swagger early doors and harks back to the early days: remember The Whippoorwill? You will now.
Recording Be Here Now at Nashville’s beloved RCA Studio A clearly rubbed off on Starr and co. with the band’s trad country roots flourishing.
Hammer And Nail is a foot-tapping case in point.
Wrapping things up at Cobb’s Georgia studio might well have focused minds and reminded Starr and co. that Southern rock’s still what they do best.
Don’t Mind If I Do is a dazzling example: the Georgia Satellites-meets-Black Crowes belter is a breezy highlight.
But in 2024 there are so many layers to Blackberry Smoke.
Cobb co-write Whatcha Know Good is a rich, bluesy affair that pushes Starr beyond his comfort zone and sees the frontman emerge victorious.
Be Right Here? There’s really no place we’d rather be.
