Hittin' the Note

Allman Brothers Band - Hittin' the Note

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CD Details

Artist: Allman Brothers Band
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2003-03-18
Music Label: Sanctuary Records
Soundtracks:

Firing Line
High Cost of Low Living
Desdemona
Woman Across the River
Old Before My Time
Who To Believe
Maydelle
Rockin' Horse
Heart of Stone
Instrumental Illness
Old Friend

Music reviews of Hittin' the Note

Music Review: Superlatives abound for this magnificent album....
Rating: 5 Stars

There will be superlatives only in this review. This is another amazing album, a term I use a bit, but I have to find another word that goes beyond amazing. This is one of The Allman Brothers Band's best albums, and it gives you hope for the future of rock and roll. The 2 lead guitarists, Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks (nephew of Butch Trucks, not son as he's been mistaken for sometimes), are the 2 best guitarists working in rock today. Gregg Allman sounds better here than he has in years, with his amazing blues voice raging and crying at the same time. I've always liked Gregg's vocals more than Dickey Betts's, and his lyrics have always had a deeper, more soulful approach than Betts. Betts always had a more countryish approach to the Allmans, which always conflicted with Gregg's blues apporach. Now that Betts is out of the band, Gregg really takes over here. His organ playing is the best I've heard probably since the Allman's early 70's work. It's up there prominently in the mix, something that didn't happen during the mid 70's, early 80's Allman incarnations. Sometimes I used to wonder whether Gregg was playing at all (the Allmans had a 2nd keyboardist from Brothers and Sisters through Seven Turns). Here there's no mistake. It's him, and he's back in full force. He's living clean now, and it's reflected on how focused his singing is, along with his organ playing and songwriting (he co-wrote many of the tracks here). It's also great to hear the blues sung again by a man who knows what pain is. There weren't that many "woman done me wrong" songs in the 1990's, perhaps because the bands then thought they were sexist or misogynist. No, they're just HUMAN, and it's great to hear one of the masters of blues/rock belt it out for us.

Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks jam together beautifully. They are both rare finds, in that they are technically brilliant, but also soulful. Trucks especially has a great blues feel, and it makes the whole Allman sound much bluesier and soulful. It's nice to hear musicians who can actually play their instruments, instead of those who look hot on camera but who can barely play a note. As for the Derek vs. Betts debate (which still rages), it's time to stop it. Trucks is a much better guitarist than Betts, but Betts was great in his time with the Allmans. Betts still tours with Great Southern, so it's not like Gregg and the other band members abandoned him. If Dickey had quit drugs like Gregg and the rest of the band did, he still be in the band.

The trio of percussion clicks like never before. The twin drums of Butch Trucks and Jaimoe are still fantastic. Marc Quiones plays the congas like another drummer. He really compliments Butch and Jaimoe very, very well, and it feels like The Allman Brothers Band has 3 drummers now. Oteil Burnbridge is a great addition here, giving the Allmans a funky feel that they've never really had before.

I love the opening track Firin' Line, a nice, blues scorcher. The next song High Cost of Low Livin' has one of Warren's most majestic solos ever. It can really bring tears to your eyes. Desdemona is a beautifully sad, epic ballad, with amazing guitar work from Derek. The song Instrumental Illness sounds like it wouldn't be too out of place on one of Miles Davis's fusion albums from the late 60's, early 70's (which is a good thing). I was waiting for his trumpet to come in. Gregg's organ work on this track really stands out. Hittin' the Note is such a remarkable album, in that it was the first Allman Brothers Band album in 9 years, and they didn't miss a beat. And the album is so vital and real. This is not a band that is just kicking about, trying to make some $$$ from touring. They mean what they play. It's the kind of music that makes live worth living.

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Description of Hittin' the Note

Very rarely is a legendary band able to come up with new, credible material. Jam band progenitors the Allman Brothers have done better than that, tapping into some of the spark that made them one of the most influential American bands of their time. The lineup has changed due to tragedy, discontent, and plain orneriness, but the band is still able to conjure up dark tales of thwarted romance, dashed ambitions, and enduring friendship and tether them to freefalling slide riffs, jazzy interludes, and soulful blues that have been staples of the band since 1969. Granted, some of the guitar solos aren't an heroic as they were when Dickey Betts in the fold, but the ballad "Desdamona" is as inspired as "Melissa," and Gregg Allman's singing has never been better. --Jaan Uhelszki

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