Devon Allman

The Allman Brothers Band left a massive legacy and two of the scions of that wondrous band have been making a reputation of their own in the last few years. Derek Trucks – Butch Trucks son – has been getting plaudits from all sides but Devon Allman has been taking a little longer to come into his prime. His work with the Honeytribe and the Royal Southern Brotherhood has seen him showing his talents in a band and supergroup setting but this album finally sees him solo – the result is rather fine.

He is backed up here by Yonrico Scott on drums and Myles Weeks on bass and these provide a terrific backing but he has to stand or fall by his guitar and his vocals and, by and large, he really is the real deal.

He has a soulful and Bluesy vocal style and a similarly Bluesy style to his guitar playing but he mixes it up and on a track such as ‘Time Machine’ he plays soft and delicately as a balance to the Countrified slide of ‘When I Left Home’ or the funky New Orleans grit of ‘Homesick’.
‘Key Lime Pie’ has very quickly become a favourite as he sets up a shuffle with a soft sunlit groove.
The album is produced by Jim Gaines and alongside that heavyweight support he also has the likes of Luther Dickinson and Sam Fish playing and singing with him. ‘Stop Dragging MY Heart Around’ features Sam Fish on vocals and the pair really kick it out with a classic Hammond B3 roaring behind the vocal.

This is a young man with a lot of talent and finally seems to be able to focus on his own ‘stuff’ – one of those albums that gets better the louder and more often you give it air.