Blackberry Smoke‘s Be Right Here finds the band in a lyrically reflective mood though its honky tonk spirit is fully alive and kicking. Be Right Here, the Atlanta five-piece’s ninth full-length studio release in the last 21 years, is a fine addition to its already impressive catalog. All the Blackberry Smoke sonic hallmarks—fiery guitar jams with decidedly Southern accents, change of pace Americana, and wide open vistas of big sky country—are here matching well with examinations of truth, willpower, and the vital importance of staying positive in the face of every aspect of life.

Any younger version of Blackberry Smoke simply could not have made the collection of songs on Be Right Here. While the players—Charlie Starr on lead vocals and guitar alongside fellow six-stringer Paul Jackson, bassist Richard Turner, his late brother Brit Turner behind the kit on drums, and Brandon Still on keys—have been together since the band’s foundation it took 23 years, nine albums, a couple of EPs, and uncounted miles on the road together to forge these tracks and it shows.

“Dig A Hole” starts Be Right Here with a pure blast of rock and roll energy that effortlessly propels the song through fun time and signature changes. Inside all that bluster, some impressively simple yet fierce thoughts about actions speaking louder than words abound. The very next track, “Hammer And Nail”, looks at the flipside of this point by lamenting how little lies to make ourselves feel better rob us of the power that truth imparts.

“Like It Was Yesterday” closes out the opening trio of tunes with an impossible-to-deny truism that life in the modern world is very good at keeping us from simple joy or even contentment. Chubby, psychedelia-laden “Be So Lucky” touches on the disappointingly universal theme of jealousy. Sadly, some folks always seem to be innately more lucky than others…it’s just the way the world works. That insightful message is deceptively delivered here with sparse acoustic guitar lines and simple drum work that contributes a welcome stylistic diversity on the front half of Be Right Here.

The organ in “Don’t Mind If I Do” pairs with some splendid slide guitar work and a rollicking backbeat which give the track a smidge of the church revival feel that suits it well. That vibe nicely offsets the call-and-response feeling on follow-up rocker “Whatcha Know Good”. The lyrics of “Good” bring the return of the unifying themes of truth and the desire to avoid unfiltered facts for a curated sense of the reality we all need to stay sane.

As if in answer to some of the doom and gloom of “Whatcha Know Good”, “Other Side Of The Light” sees the reprisal of more than just the gospel vibe of “Don’t Mind If I Do” but also the hopeful nature of some of the earlier tracks. It’s easily the most upbeat, positive song on the entire album. Slowly returning us collectively to sanity, “Little Bit Crazy” reminds us that being sane and successful in a crazy, heartless world is actually not all that healthy for a truly communal society.

Be Right Here‘s closer, “Barefoot Angel”, is a flat-out ode to love itself, from its lyrical nod to the invaluable fortune of finding someone to enjoy the good and the bad times with and the lengths one should go to in protecting and honoring that bit of luck. The song is an exceedingly mature take on the topic of the wisdom that growing older provides. “Angel”, like Be Right Here itself, imparts a never-give-in-to-the-lies and darkness feeling that is a sure, hard-earned, and welcome insight that defies the cynicism that is tragically easy to succumb to in life.

With Be Right Here, Blackberry Smoke has managed to take all its hard-won understanding of how best to live life and set it to a varied but uniformly propulsive series of jams that meld into one hell of a ride. It’s a very worthy addition to the band’s catalog and shows that while it’s well into its third decade of existence Blackberry Smoke has plenty left to say worth hearing.

Blackberry Smoke’s Be Right Here is available now. Following the passing of drummer Brit Turner earlier this month from brain cancer at the age of 57, the band rescheduled a series of shows but is set to return to the stage on March 14th in West Des Moines, IA. For tickets and a full list of tour dates visit Blackberry Smoke’s website. Note: Live For Live Music delayed the publication of this piece out of respect following Brit Turner’s sudden passing. 

Blackberry Smoke – Be Right Here