A veteran of the Baltimore music scene with his former band The Bridge and then as a solo artist, Cris Jacobs is no newcomer. My fist introduction to Jacobs was his most recent album Dust to Gold, released in late 2016 and finding my ears in early 2017.
Jacobs' smooth vocals compliment perfectly his musical style that is reminiscent of The Guess Who and a laid back Allman Brothers.
The big take away from this album? It's good songwriting combined with excellent vocals and fantastic instrumentation.
Mud is the perfect title for Whiskey Myers' fourth album release. Mud is dirty, it's gritty, it's grimy, it's greasy and it's swampy. So, yeah, it's muddy. Mud is not slick and polished, it's not saccharine and glossy, it's not good times and parties. It is real and raw and hard times and making do and living in the good times.
Although honing their skills on the Texas Red Dirt scene, Whiskey Myers is not a country band. They are a Southern rock/hard rock band with country leanings. They recently wrapped up the Carnival of Madness tour with Shinedown, Halestorm and Black Stone Cherry. They are another entry into my "Rock Ain't Dead" campaign.
The torch of Southern Rock is in good hands with Whiskey Myers, who, along with Blackberry Smoke, have re-lit it and have it burning brighter than it has since the early 80s. Just as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels, The Allman Brothers, etc. all had their own unique sound within Southern Rock, Whiskey Myers borrows heavily from the pioneers while still sounding uniquely Whiskey Myers.
Produced by Dave Cobb, as was the previous album Early Morning Shakes, Mud seems to have Whiskey Myers and Dave Cobb hitting the sweet spot together. Mud is, in my opinion, the best Whiskey Myers album yet, edging out 2011's Firewater by a slim margin.
The album closes with "Good Ole Days", a collaboration by Cody Cannon with Brent Cobb. It's a fun acoustic song, but what got me was the baseball allegiances revealing themselves in the final verse.
Here are couple songs that show the diversity of the album, "Mud" and "Stone".
Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina's Preacher Stone does not want to be identified as a Southern Rock band, but a "rock band from the South." Okay. Whatever. I'll roll with it.
Their latest record Paydirt, released in March of this year, borrows liberally from other "rock bands from the South" such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, the Allman Brothers, Charlie Daniels and Georgia Satellites. There are also hints of Classic Rock bands like Bad Company and Edgar Winter. There's also some very Country-like tendencies on the record.
Throw that all together and, in Preacher Stone, you get a very familiar yet unique sounding band. With Blackberry Smoke and Whiskey Myers, Preacher Stone is doing Southern Rock the right way. Even if they're just a rock band from the South.
A veteran of the Baltimore music scene with his former band The Bridge and then as a solo artist, Cris Jacobs is no newcomer. My fist introduction to Jacobs was his most recent album Dust to Gold, released in late 2016 and finding my ears in early 2017.
