This may come as a surprise to some, but Kings of Leon are not, in fact, the original band of brothers to hail from Nashville, Tennessee. That honour would arguably go to the Allman Brothers Band, who were churning out Southern rock classics like ‘Jessica’ – aka “the Top Gear theme tune” – long before the Followills were even in nappies. Gregg Allman has fronted the group ever since their formation in 1969 and, despite the tragic loss of his brother Duane in 1971, continues to do so today. He’s also managed to build up an impressive, if sporadic, solo career over the past forty years and fans will no doubt be pleased to hear that he’s back with a brand new album, no less than fourteen years after his last offering, 1997’s ‘Searching for Simplicity’.
'Low Country Blues' is a collection of classic blues tracks by artists such as BB King and Muddy Waters translated into Allman’s own Southern style. The album also features the talents of legendary rhythm and blues pianist Dr John, who can be heard playing keyboards on a number of the tracks.
The album begins with a mellow, stomping version of ‘Floating Bridge’ by Sleepy John Estes. This track, as well as a number of others on ‘Low Country Blues’ is notable for its use of bluegrass music, which is somewhat reminiscent of that heard in the multi-Grammy Award-winning soundtrack to the film ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’. This is an interesting point because that particular soundtrack was produced by none other than T-Bone Burnett – the very same producer that has worked with Gregg Allman on ‘Low Country Blues’.
Digressions aside, in addition to the more blusier tracks, the album is also made up of a variety of other genres that fit well around Allman’s Southern rock overtones. BB King’s ‘Please Accept My Love’, for example, finds Allman employing an unadulterated soul music style, while on ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Tears, Tears, Tears’, he picks up the pace with some lively, piano-led boogie and R&B. Each of the songs on the album also displays its own sense of place. On the track ‘Blind Man’, for instance, the song takes on a slow and dark Jazz Club R&B quality that will leave the listener feeling as though they are sat in a smokey blues bar.
All in all, ‘Low Country Blues’ is an authentic and enjoyable listen from Gregg Allman. It’s certainly nothing new, but that would be far from the intention. He’s taken some familiar songs, rejigged them with some familiar sounds and turned the whole thing into a body of work that he can call his own. It will no doubt come as a pleasant surprise – or maybe a pleasant prediction - to his growing number of fans.
Stereoboard Rating: 7/10
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The album begins with a mellow, stomping version of ‘Floating Bridge’ by Sleepy John Estes. This track, as well as a number of others on ‘Low Country Blues’ is notable for its use of bluegrass music, which is somewhat reminiscent of that heard in the multi-Grammy Award-winning soundtrack to the film ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’. This is an interesting point because that particular soundtrack was produced by none other than T-Bone Burnett – the very same producer that has worked with Gregg Allman on ‘Low Country Blues’. 
