"You hear Georgia when I open my mouth," sings
Blackberry Smoke
leader
Charlie Starr
on the title track of the band's seventh album.
Starr
isn't wrong. Ever since their first indie records back in the 2000s,
has been steeped in the traditions of Southern rock, occasionally recalling Georgian heavyweights
the Allman Brothers Band
but more frequently bringing to mind the greasy, flinty style of
Lynyrd Skynyrd
. Both bands loom over
You Hear Georgia
, but
manages to find a few new wrinkles, such as the
Little Feat
funk that keeps "Hey Delilah" simmering. Still, the group spends most of
sticking to their tried and true boogie, punctuating the rockers with barroom ballads like "Lonesome for a Livin'" and the wistful backyard picking of "Old Enough to Know." It's nothing unexpected but it's all effective, from the sturdy song constructions to performances that know when to lean into the muscle and when to let things swing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine