Singer/guitarist Devon Allman continues to get acclaim, while carrying on the family’s blues roots with his interpretation of the blues. His current Honeytribe lineup features George Potsos on bass, and Gabriel Strange on drums. On this release, he’s also recruited Huey Lewis, Ron Holloway on sax, Bobby Yang on violin, Rick Steff on Keys, and Tony Antonelli on percussion.
Could Get Dangerous is an original Riley King sounding tune, aided effectively by “Huey Harp” and smart guitar licks. Space Age Blues is a slow blues lament driven by sax, strong vocals, and some Zeppelin like distortion axe. Salvation is another ballad, bearing an Otis Redding styled delivery, using the sax and power guitar in all of the right places. Warm In Wintertime is an easy flowing ballad, again relying on the strength of the vocals, Bobby Yang’s multi-tracked violin, and the fitting guitar licks. Endless Diamond is a flowing typical hard singing blues lament. The Stevie Wonder tune Sir Duke gets a blues wah-guitar makeover. I’m Ready is the rocking blues tune, led by Devon’s catchy guitar riffs. Take Me To The Bridge is a good driving rocker that takes a sudden trip through some intergalactic effects. Insh’ Allah is an instrumental that would have been at home at the first Woodstock.
Devon has the ability to take his guitar and vocal abilities, and blend them with original tunes, that pay homage to their obvious influences. The mix of straight up blues tunes and ballads help balance out this disc. It’s blues delivered in various contexts and textures. Some interesting takes are found here, no overuse of the individual instruments, which is much appreciated. It’s worth listening to!
By RME
[Rating: 3.5/5]
