Devon Allman: Ragged & Dirty
Yup, this is Gregg’s kid and there’s no denying the family connection. You can hear the paternal call in his gravelly voice and feel Uncle Duane’s deep Southern boogie in his guitar playing. But Devon Allman doesn’t just rake up dead leaves from around the family tree with these 12 cuts. There are hints of ‘90s folk rock (Del Amitri, anybody?), a dose of Stevie Ray Vaughan string-bending (“Blackjack Heartattack”) and a truly remarkable nine-minute-plus instrumental cut that sounds like a meeting of Robin Trower and Buddy Miles—with major props to drummer Tom Hambridge. The best song is “Times Have Changed,” a feisty dance-floor groover that borrows from—hallelujah!—Bachman-Turner Overdrive. And there’s a pretty great cover of The Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around,” too, which probably wouldn’t have made Papa’s playlist. From jazzy to jammy, this is a solid blues record with plenty of rock and rhythm muscle.