#6 - BLACKBERRY SMOKE - HOLDING ALL THE ROSES (RJ'S TOP 10 AMERICANA/COUNTRY ALBUMS OF THE YEAR)

artist website - blackberrysmoke.com

Produced by - Brenden O'Brien

Band:

Brandon Still - Keys

Paul Jackson - Guitars/Vocals

Brit Turner - Drums

Richard Turner - Bass/Vocals

Charlie Starr - Guitar/Vocals

Blackberry Smoke has consistently been one of my favorite bands since I picked up their second album (Little Piece Of Dixie) a few years ago. They followed that up in 2012 with the masterpiece that is The Whippoorwill. Fast forward to 2015 and we get Holding All The Roses. And as I figured upon it's release, it certainly found it's way into my yearly top ten list. What is surprising to me is that it, over the course of this year, it dropped from the number one spot to number six. The reason for that is the keyboards that filled out the music so well on the previous effort seem to be, for the most part, gone or either buried in the mix. But that doesn't at all make it a bad album, it's actually quite good.

The album busts through the door with opening track Let Me Help You (Find The Door). What a great rocker to start things off. No pressure is removed from the pedal for the title track. The most obvious choice for a single, in my opinion, is Living In The Song. It just has a smooth sound and a great melody. The band moves more into the honky tonk arena with Rock And Roll Again. It's a song that didn't really register with me at first, but I've really warmed to it over the course of this year. Woman In The Moon is the first song that gives me some of that keyboard work that I crave from the band. The keys have a tone that reminds me of what I remember hearing on Peter Frampton's Frampton Comes Alive album. It also slows the pace a bit as well. Too High is a very country song. It's a song that makes the band too country for rock. Wish In One Hand is another song that is lyrical words to the wise. "Wish in one hand, shit in the other, see which one fills up first for you brother".

Next up is a short acoustic instrumental interlude called Randolph County Farewell that really doesn't seem to have a purpose. Payback's A Bitch is a hard rocker, one that makes the band too rock for country. It actually made it's first appearance on the band's live album from 2014, Leave A Scar, Live: North Carolina. You get a great little "story" song in Lay It All On Me, which is really a fun little tune. The pace is slowed one last time on No Way Back To Eden, and the band rocks it up one more time on the closer Fire In The Hole. This tune is a real rocker and even includes an F-bomb. It's also the other song on the album that makes good use of the keys.

And then it's over. Like I said, while I don't think it's quite as epic sounding as The Whippoorwill, many bands today would be doing great to put out this record. Blackbery Smoke still has it folks. Check them out if you haven't already done so.

Tracks:

1. Let Me Help You (Find The Door)

2. Holding All The Roses

3. Living In The Song

4. Rock And Roll Again

5. Woman In The Moon

6. Too High

7. Wish In One Hand

8. Randolph County Farewell

9. Payback's A Bitch

10. Lay It All On Me

11. No Way Back To Eden