Customer Reviews

Searching for Simplicity

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gregg Allman vocals on all 13 tracks and appears with a core band of Bill Stewart on drums, David Hood on bass, and Jack Pearson on dobro, slide and Acoustic guitars. There are also approximately 25 other musicians rotating in and out on various tracks bringing with them everything from a horn section to precussion instruments and cello.

The CD is jumpstarted with a freshened up version of the Allman classic "whippin' post". All songs, with the possible exception of the country flavored "memphis in the meantime" are consistently good bluesy numbers with tight rhythm, geneorus lead and Allman's familiar smokey vocals. It is hard to imagine how a CD of this caliber can go relatively unnoticed. Highly recommended.

I heard the new version of 'whippin' post' on the radio and tracked down this cd. A great find. The new version of 'whippin post' has a more funky, island, clean, acoustic groove. Great version. The surprise is that the rest of the songs are solid blues songs (many covers)that are as good as anything the ABB has done in the last decade or so. What a shame that solid albums like this are heard by so few in this pop infested music world that we inhabit.Search for simplicity....

This recent offering by Gregg is no doubt his strongest since "Laid Back". His solo outings have always featured his love of R&B and gospel. His offering of "Whipping Post" is a great stripped down version of the Brothers classic, and his version of John Hiatts "Memphis in the Meantime" has a nice groove to it. Overall a great complement to any ABB collection. Also try and find "Laid Back", and his double CD of ealy solo and demos "One More Try", which offers a look into the genius of Gregg Allman.

If you like blues, then an old familiar voice will bring it alive again.
And if you are an Allman Bros. fan, this is an invitation to the Blues. My wife and I enjoy this album a lot, the vocals, music and lyrics. KLM

Less pop and more blues on this 1997 effort by Gregg Allman, whose solo career has seen him trying for a more eclectic pop sound than what would have flown with the Allman Brothers Band.

But this is almost an Allman Brothers record without the rest of the Allman Brothers Band. Gregg grinds his way through a really solid mix of originals and covers, blues-rock with a touch of soul, and he is in fine form, laying down plenty of excellent vocal performances which are underlined by the fine, clear production.
Gregg is occationally augumented by a horn section which makes "Searching For Simplicity" sound a little less Allman Brothers-like than it would have otherwise done, and he is backed by a slew of really good musicians which include (at various times) guitarists Scott Boyer, Jack Pearson and current Allman Brothers slide slinger Derek Trucks.

There is less guitar candy here on the Allman Brothers' records, and that may disappoint some listeners, but the material is generally strong, most of it consisting of mid-tempo numbers with the occational slowie thrown in for good measure, and both Derek Trucks and Jack Pearson get off a number of sizzling solos.
Highlights include Gregg's wonderful, bouncy cover of John Hiatt's "Memphis In The Meantime", a great, soulful "Dark End Of The Street", the melodic R&B of "Rendezvous With The Blues", the tough, swaggering "Don't Deny Me", and the slide guitar-driven slow blues "Wolf's A-Howlin'", a gritty confessional piece which features harpist Topper Price.

All in all, "Searching For Simplicity" is a really solid, consistent record. Fans will definitely want a listen.

This album starts out with what I believe to be one of the best versions of "Whipping Post" ever and never lets up after that. If you like good jazzy blues with B3 organ and melodic guitar solos, this one will fit right in to your collection. Buy it today!

If you enjoy great vocals, slide guitar, harmonica and a Hammond B3, it really doesn't get a whole lot better. The Muscle Shoals Rhythm section also provides tasty backing and some great sax soloing.

You don't have to be a lead guitarist to appreciate this CD.

Regards,

Joe "Gooch" Guccione

GREAT CD FROM THE VOICE OF THE ALLMAN BROTHERS FILLED WITH BLUES THAT ARE GREAT, BEST CUTS ARE THE REMAKE OF WHIPPING POST AND IVE GOT NEW FOR YOU, AMUST FOR ANY FAN OF THE ALLMANS BROTHERS

There are singers who never sound like they're just going through the motions. Like them or not, they show us a glimpse of their soul almost every time out. Van Morrison. Willie Nelson. John Lennon, once. They have achieved an aura of credibility that has much to do with how thoroughly we feel they are baring themselves.

Gregg Allman's work here is as strong -- and feels as honest -- as anything he's done since "Laid Back."

Some highlights:

The album opens strongly with a reworked "Whipping Post" -- changed from the original 6/8 time to a 4/4. Even toned down and acoustic, it is still one powerful song.

"House of Blues" may be the best song Gregg's written in 20 years. An outstanding vocal performance, adequately backed by a fine arrangement.

"Rendezvous with the Blues" has a tastefully funky groove, and a great vocal bridge.

"Don't Deny Me" is a bluesy shuffle which should have been recorded by the Allman Brothers Band.

"Dark End of the Street" was one of Duane Allman's favorite songs, and Gregg has said it took him some 25 years to be able to sing it. And Lord does he ever sing it. Again the bridge ("There gonna find us....") reaches out with a depth of emotion rarely encountered.

Finally, "I've Got News fo You" is a generations-old big band number that Gregg makes fully his own.

Newest Allman Brothers member Jack Pearson deserves praise for outstanding guitar work throughout. The horn arrangements are worthy of comparison with anything out of Stax, and no rock-&-roll singer ever worked better with gospel-drenched female backup singers.

There are some weak numbers. "Silence Ain't Golden Anymore", though performed well, sounds like it could have made it onto Gregg's album with Cher. "Memphis in the Meantime" is just ridiculous.

But overall, an impressive collection from a singer with a compelling and ever-improving sense of taste.

Ahhh. More music by Gregg & his soulful music. Loved this from initial release & more each day. Listen for this line "You can't live your life in color & tell the truth in black & white." A great version of Whipping Post to stay familiar w/ Allman Bros.