Review by Taf Rock for MPM
It seems quite some time since Blackberry Smoke last unleashed a new studio album upon us (2021’s You Hear Georgia). So it’s with a keen ear I welcome the arrival of this the lead single from Blackberry Smoke’s forthcoming album Be Right Here (due for release worldwide February 16th 2024).
The band don’t come steaming into your living room screaming ‘We’re back’ however but slowly creep up on you with a laid back swampy kind of riff with a real chilled out groove. It’s as if they pull up a chair next to you and whisper ‘Come chill with us for a few minutes’.
When Charlie Starr and co invite me to chill out I’m sure gonna listen. What better way to wind down and relax. ‘Good man, bad man what you gonna be’ enquires Charlie in that beautiful southern drawl he possesses. ‘Rich man poor man how you gonna live’. He’s asking “what are you going to do with your life?”, ‘which fork in the road … you gonna follow’.
A couple of verses follow in this wonderful kicked back style, the stop start call out vocals and groovy riff alternating, punctuated by powerful drums and percussion before the band start to ramp things up into a more typical bluesy southern rock sound. The chorus introduces fine backing vocals from fellow Georgian duo The Black Bettys encouraging us to ‘all sing like it’s a brand new thing … dig a hole’.
Charlie says the message behind the song is to “enjoy yourself while you can, make the most of your time, make it count … before they dig a hole for you”.
Encouraging the listener to get up out of their chill-out seat and ‘say what we came to say’ Charlie lets rip into one of his ubiquitous lead breaks before keyboards come to the fore towards the end of the song courtesy of Brandon Still who co-wrote this track with frontman Charlie Starr.
A great 4 and a half minute taster before the main course. Come join me I intend to BE RIGHT HERE when that album drops come February 2024.
BE RIGHT HERE track listing;
- Dig A Hole
- Hammer And The Nail
- Like It Was Yesterday
- Be So Lucky
- Azalea
- Don’t Mind If I Do
- Whatcha Know Good
- Other Side of the Light
- Little Bit Crazy
- Barefoot Angel
BLACKBERRY SMOKE are:
Charlie Starr – Lead vocals/Guitar
Paul Jackson – Guitar/B.vox
Richard Turner – Bass/B.vox
Brandon Still – Keyboards
Brit Turner – Drums/Percussion
Benji Shanks – Guitar
Preston Holcomb – Percussion
For more information, please visit the band’s website or find them at the social links below.
Follow Blackberry Smoke:
https://www.blackberrysmoke.com
https://www.facebook.com/blackberrysmoke
