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Seven Turns
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A return to form and then some
Review date: 2008-06-10 Rating: 8 out of 10
It's hard to believe that almost as many years have passed since this "comeback" album as separate it from the ABB's early '70s heyday, but it says more than a little that since "Seven Turns" was released the Allman Brothers have remained a potent live act and have released a number of solid, even excellent, studio albums. This album is then more than a mere "comeback" effort: it shows a group of veteran musicians walking out of the wilderness and finding they can still do what they do best. Moreover, the "new blood" members on this recording are far more than mere sidemen filling out the ranks: as shown by their mighty achievements to come in Gov't Mule, Warren Haynes and Allen Woody were vital and active members of a real functioning band and with real contributions to make to the whole. (And I think this band goes on to make the perhaps even better "Shades of Two Worlds" album, but I digress ....)
"Seven Turns" is an album of muscle and grit and occasional wistful delicacy that does very much want you want an Allman Brothers album to do -- pulling together both the searing blues and th country-fried ramble of their best work -- and I daresay does it better than their albums from the latter part of the '70s. At the very worst, you're likely to find a few tracks on it that will never leave your iPod. ;)
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Reviews
A fine comeback
Review date: 2004-04-10 Rating: 8 out of 10
With "Seven Turns", the Allmans delivered their first album of original material in nine years, and the fact this is a really good one came as a surprise to many who had believed the Allman Brothers Band to be a thing of the past.
Superbly produced by Tom Dowd, "Seven Turns" blends rock, blues, and a little bit of soul and country, and the 1990 line-up is one of the best incarnations ever of the band, with lead guitarists Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes, new piano player James Neel, and of course Gregg Allman.
This is very much a vehicle for lead and slide guitarist and occational lead vocalist Dickey Betts...he has written or co-written nine of the eleven songs, and while there aren't quite as many truly memorable songs as on, say, "Hitting The Note" or "Where It All Begins", the quality of the material is generally high.
The highlights include the tough and funky blues-rock of "Good Clean Fun" and "Low Down Dirty Mean", the acoustic, slide guitar-driven title track, the melodic slow rock of "It Ain't Over Yet", the country-flavoured "Let Me Ride", and the riff-driven hard rocker "Shine It On" which features a great, rough lead vocal by Betts.
His and Warren Haynes' dual lead guitar attack is something to behold, and both of them play some great solos, particularly the one on "Good Clean Fun" and the slide solo on "Loaded Dice".
This is a fine album, as lean and mean as an Allman Brothers album ever gets. If you're a fan, don't pass this one up.
4 1/4 stars. Definitely recommended.
Product Details/Specifications
Artist(s):
The Allman Brothers Band
Recording label: Yellow Label
Manufacturer: Yellow Label
EAN: 0886972407821
Binding: Audio CD
Format: Import,
Release date: 2008-02-01
Universal product code (UPC): 886972407821
Number of discs: 1
Disc 1 Tracks:
1. Good Clean Fun
2. Let Me Ride
3. Low Down Dirty Mean
4. Shine It On
5. Loaded Dice
6. Seven Turns
7. Gambler's Roll
8. True Gravity
9. It Ain't over Yet
Publishers: Yellow Label