Gregg Allman - Gregg Allman Tour (CD)

All Music Guide

For his first solo live album, it would have been virtually impossible for Gregg Allman to outdo the Allman Brothers' At the Fillmore, and, wisely, he didn't try. What he did, however, surprised some listeners and fans, and illustrates just how difficult a task he faced in the mid-1970s, striking out on his own. Possessing one of the most revered last names in blues-rock and arena rock was a blessing and a curse, drawing attention from millions of admirers of the Allman Brothers Band, but also triggering expectations for the kind of high-wattage blues that the group specialized in. The problem was that Gregg Allman's personal musical interests always resided with the more soulful and vocal-oriented aspects of Southern music. Recorded live at New York's Carnegie Hall and the Passaic Theater in New Jersey, The Gregg Allman Tour the definitive testament of Allman's own musical identity, establishing his taste for Southern soul, which is pretty much the direction the whole album takes. The... performances are good and the band (featuring We the People alumnus Tommy Talton on lead and slide guitar) is tight, although it's no Allman Brothers Band, and not trying to be. Rather, it's more like they're trying to be a big-band version of Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns, along with a few wrinkles to Southern-style soul unique to Gregg Allman. Only five of his 10 songs are originals, but covers of songs by Oliver Sain, Bert Berns, and Chuck Willis are, in and of themselves, statements of what Gregg Allman was about. The album as a whole is a little too loose and laid-back to be one of his finest performances, but it's still a great listening experience. - Bruce Eder, All Music Guide Read more Less