Man, I know I’m getting older and I’m not the core audience but I just do not get country music these days.  I should tweak that a little and say “country music that’s on the radio” because there is a lot of stuff that’s out there on the fringes that certainly deserves airplay moreso than the “bro country” and “country rap” that seems to permeate the airwaves.  Like hair metal from the ’80s you’ll have some decent fluff here and there but you gotta dig deep to uncover some of the best in the genre.  Just when you’re about ready to give up on that deep hole, you’ll uncover a gem the likes of Blackberry Smoke.

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Blackberry Smoke are not new kids on the block-  formed in 2000, lead singer/guitarist Charlie Starr and the gang have kept their core band together since their inception and have put out four studio albums, a handful of EPs and a live platter to their name.  Each release is a slightly different from its predecessor, whether it be the high octane swagger of their debut disc Bad Luck Ain’t No Crime to the fantastic acoustic takes on New Honky Tonk Bootlegs to the southern rock\country hybrid of (my favorite) The Whippoorwill to their most recent Stonesy cum Black Crowes vibe of Holding All The Roses.  And not only those bands, but take a heaping dose of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Georgia Satellites and mix it up with outlaw country and you’re in the vicinity of what these guys offer.

Buy I hear you say…  do these guys have the songs?  Oh yeah they do, and then some.  You want to rock?  Try “Up In Smoke” or “Let Me Help You (Find The Door)”.  You want to sing along?  “Everybody Knows She’s Mine” or “Lay It All On Me” for size.  Maybe you want one of those bluegrass/country acoustic porch sittin’ songs so you can tap your foot and drink your iced tea\lemonade\cold beer?  How about trying on “Ain’t Got The Blues” or “No Way Back To Eden” on for size.  And that’s just for starters.

So yeah, in a just world Blackberry Smoke would be all over the radio and we would be subjected to much less nonsense than what we currently have today.  And with the fine mix of country and rock they could easily be played on stations of both genres as the deftly migrate between both styles with ease.  And that folks takes talent, which this band has in spades.  Get one of their releases and you’ll find songs that you like, your friends like, your parents like, and even your grandparents like.  Ya dig?