Searching for Simplicity in Bloomington, MN

In his initial solo recordings,
Gregg Allman
tried for a more eclectic pop approach than the Southern blues-rock of his day job with
the Allman Brothers Band
. His later solo work, done during breaks in
the Brothers
' career, was much closer to the traditional
ABB
sound. On his first solo album since
the Allmans
' re-formation in 1989, he again makes what is essentially an
Allman Brothers Band
record without the other members, except new guitarist
Jack Pearson
, whose
Duane Allman
/
Dickey Betts
-style slide work is all over the disc.
Allman
signals the same-but-different approach by opening the album with an "unplugged" version of
' signature song, "Whipping Post," and though he adds horns to some tracks for a more R&B feel, the rest of the album finds him growling through standard-issue blues-rock, some of the songs originals, some covers, among them an excellent version of "Dark End of the Street" and an arrangement of
John Hiatt
's "Memphis in the Meantime" that makes it sound like a
Betts
country-rocker. Recovering from personnel changes,
didn't release an album in 1997; this record should help tide their fans over. ~ William Ruhlmann