The Allman Brothers Band

Hittin’ the Note

Genre: Rock

Next of Kin: Lynard Skynyrd, .38 Speacial

3 stars out of 5

The first studio album in nine years by southern rock pioneers the Allman Brothers sees them pick up right where they left off — on the road.

Hittin’ the Note is chock-full of biker-ready blues anthems like “High Cost of Low Living” and “Rockin’ Horse” that would fit nicely around old standards like “Rambling Man” in one of the Allmans’ lengthy live sets.

The Allman Brothers haven’t changed much musically either. Long lyric-less jams like the jazzy “Instrumental Illness” sound a lot like classic Allman instrumentals like “Hot’lanta”.

In fact, everything on Hittin’ the Note seems to reference some part of the Allmans’ past. From the dueling slide guitars to the rough, road-weary vocals, it’s all been done before. Then again, it might be unfair to look for innovation from a band that prides itself on its southern tradition.

While new Allman Brothers fans might want to start out with “Eat a Peach” and “At Fillmore East,” serious fans will find a lot to be happy about on Hittin’ the Note. The batch of well-seasoned new songs on the album is their best since the mid ‘70s and guitarist Warren Haynes adds some bite to the band’s sound with his heavy blues riffage.

The steamy guitar solo by prodigy Derek Trucks on “Desdemona” might alone be worth the cost of the album for longtime Allman Brothers fans. It’s aching, heartfelt and pure — everything southern rock should be.

Overall, a solid release that offers what you would expect.

Published on March 24, 2003 at 12:00 pm