http://www.sounds-of-south.de/wordpress/2021/05/26/alligator-jackson-southern-barbeque-the-best-of-cd-review/
The new cd was reviewed by a German websi5e in German. Here is the translation.
Alligator Jackson - Southern Barbeque - The Best Of… - CD Review
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Since its inception, the Juke Joint 500 label has earned the attention it deserves in our magazine with great limited releases that make the collectors' hearts especially of our Southern Rock clientele beat faster.
This time, managing director Reinhard Holstein dealt with a rather mysterious band that is still considered 'Southern Rock's best kept secret' to this day. What is meant is a troupe called Alligator Jackson, who had created five albums between 2005 and 2009, but never played together as a real band or performed live.
Holstein picked the supposedly best tracks from these five works and prepared a delicious “Southern Barbeque” for us. For vinyl fans, the colored, hand-numbered edition of 500 copies applies again, CD lovers get a bonus snack on top of “Southern Soil” with the help of the well-known Gary Jeffries .
The main actor behind Alligator Jackson is a certain David Williams, who, by the way, in addition to his musical ability, also has literary qualities, thanks to some books he wrote himself.
For his music project, Williams hired Dave Scarboro as singer and guitarist, who also mixed and produced the songs. The rest of the quartet are RJ Gibson on bass and TJ Dawg on drums.
Then I scoured my collection when it came to Alligator Jackson and was actually able to locate the disc “The Gator's Back” from 2006, which had not been heard for a long time.
Holstein has done a good job of this work with the really strong "Liquid Courage" ( Skynyrd- pregnant opener, here also with female background vocals), "Repo Man" and "All Hell's Breaking Loose" (reminds a little of the Regulators ) ( all other tracks are not bad either).
If you get used to Scarboro's not quite so spectacular, but definitely pleasant voice, you will discover certain similarities to Doug Gray ( Marshall Tucker Band ) or to the good Charlie Daniels .
In addition to the team-friendly rhythm section, the spice of the Alligator Jackson basic menu is of course the great electric guitars, which appear omnipresent in all variations (fills, solos, slide, twins) (very often in the creaky Gary Rossington manner).
Also in terms of melody and catchiness, the classically held compositions (with influences from Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet , Marshall Tucker Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section , 38 Special , Charlie Daniels, Doc Holliday , Outlaws ) leave nothing to be desired.
You can lean back comfortably in the armchair at home and while listening is automatically encouraged to reflect on everything that was great and pleasant in the good old Southern Rock days. During the summer barbecue with a cool beer in hand, the music certainly fits even better.
And how does it say so beautifully and correctly in the package insert: If Skynyrd had published this work between "Nuthin 'Fancy" and "Gimme Back My Bullets" - nobody would have noticed ...
Get it, dear Southern Rock friends and collectors, definitely get it!
Juke Joint 500 (2021)
Style: Southern Rock
Tracks:
01. Liquid Courage
02. Swamp Justice
03. Southern Barbeque
04. Enjoy The Ride
05. Repo Man
06. Pull No Punches
07. Blood On The Wall
08. Hanging Judge
09. Mr. Bouncer
10. All Hell's Breaking Loose
11 Alligator Jackson
12. Spirit Of The Wild
13. Southern Soil - feat. Gary Jeffries (bonus track)
Alligator Jackson
Juke Joint 500