Southern rock titans Blackberry Smoke released its seventh album, You Hear Georgia, on Friday. The new album sees the Georga-bred torchbearers teaming up with Warren Haynes and Jamey Johnson as they try to redefine what it means to be Southern.
While Blackberry Smoke is primarily known for harder rock with a Southern-fried edge and carrying on the tradition of groups like The Allman Brothers Band, You Hear Georgia finds the band exploring new territory. Particularly on the band’s collaboration with singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson, “Lonesome For A Livin'”, Blackberry Smoke shows off some of its country leanings.
That track is only part of a larger theme that runs through You Hear Georgia of defying preconceived notions, whether they be geographical or musical. For a band like Blackberry Smoke that is so entrenched in Southern tradition, the band has often fallen prey to a generalized idea of what it means to be from a state like Georgia. With its latest album, Blackberry Smoke is challenging what people think when You Hear Georgia.
“Lyrically, the song is about the South being misunderstood. It’s obviously a rough and tumble world, and there’s a lot of bad people. But there’s a lot of good people too,” the band said in a statement. “It started with the idea of how people might have a preconceived opinion of you because of a thick Southern accent, then expanded into the reality of how some people just seem to have such a hard time getting along, thanks to political or religious views, or simply what part of the country you come from.”
Stream Blackberry Smoke’s new album, You Hear Georgia, via the player below or on your preferred streaming platform.
Blackberry Smoke – You Hear Georgia