There have been many tales of terror, nervousness, and depression -- as well as raw excitement and anticipation -- since
the Allmans went into the studio to make their first album of new material in a decade, and the band's first record ever without guitarist
Dickey Betts, who wrote and sang the last of the band's true hits in the 1970s. The result weighs on the latter side of the equation -- nervousness and fear that the old-road dogs didn't have it in them to make new music are completely unfounded.
Hittin' the Note is the band's finest studio outing since
Brothers and Sisters over 20 years before. The level of songwriting, inspiration, and execution is more than admirable; it's downright bone-chilling in places. The
Allman/
Haynes collaboration
"Desdemona," while centered in
Southern soul and earthy
blues, is a
rock & roll powerhouse with glorious
jazz overtones a la
"In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" in the instrumental break.
Haynes, whose ringing, stinging tone cuts through the mix like a fine-edged stiletto, is complemented beautifully by
Derek Trucks.
Trucks displays the round-toned beauty that adds warmth and dimension to the twin-guitar interplay that is very much built on the
Duane Allman/
Betts model, but creates shadowy chord figures that come more from
jazz than
blues, adding another shade to the tonal palette. But it's the sheer melodic power and
soul feel that comes right through a studio soundboard that is most astonishing. It feels like
the Allmans live, which is the thing they most wanted to get across. Instrumentally, the band's fiery exuberance is in abundance -- the organ-guitar duel in
"Woman Across the River," which features a fine
Haynes vocal, is given more thudding intensity by drummers
Jaimoe and
Butch Trucks and percussionist
Marc Quinones. The bass chair is held down by newcomer
Oteil Burbridge, who, like
Derek Trucks, adds a younger, more ambitious feel to the rootsy sound of the brothers, with his popped and thumped basslines that pay often just behind the beat to add space to the framework of a given track. The sprawling
"Instrumental Illness" displays the awesome guitar power that
the Allmans have at their disposal, as well as their ability to improvise off cues and feelings in a way that would make some
jazz musicians jealous.
"Old Before My Time," a
Haynes/
Allman collaboration, is the most haunting song on the record.
Allman sings with all the world-weariness that has truly been his lot as a road dog who has endured his share of tragedy. It begins as a
folk song, with
Haynes' acoustic under
Allman's voice before the band enters with slide guitar; staggered in 4/4 time and littered with hand drums and a swell that transforms it into a
country song of regret, remorse, and resignation, it literally stops the listener in his or her tracks. There's little time to think about the tune, however, before the spooky, dark, bluesed-out
funk of
"Who to Believe" comes uncoiling from the speakers like a crawling king snake from the swamp. A wonderful surprise on this set is an absolutely riveting cover of
the Rolling Stones'
"Heart of Stone," transformed into a
rock & roll version of a
Ray Price honky tonk song as if it were reinterpreted by
Albert King. In sum,
Hittin' the Note does exactly what its title claims -- 11 tracks' worth and it burns on every one. This album is in-the-pocket, deep-grooving
Allman Brothers Band blues-rock at its best. ~ Thom Jurek
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