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Loud & Proud Records
Rating: B
Gary Rossington is the one of the founding members of the most famous southern rock band of all time, Lynyrd Skynyrd. For nearly 40 years Gary has been making music with his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington. They had a big hit in The Rossington Collins band in the 1980s with “Don’t Misunderstand Me” and now they have released their latest album, titled Take It On Faith.
The Rossington band is made up of Gary and Dale as well as a plethora of the who’s who of southern rock, including the album’s producer and engineer, David Z (Prince, Etta James, Buddy Guy), Ben Fowler (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams, Billy Currington, Sara Evans), the late Richie Hayward on drums, Jack Holder on guitar, Bruce McCabe on piano and keyboards and David Smith on bass. One notices a huge name when reading the writing credits in ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons who co-wrote “Good Side of Good.” Delbert McClinton guests on harp, while Gary Nicholson plays some fine gee-tar on “Dance While You’re Cookin’.”
The 12 songs range from country, to country rock, to blues to… well, of course, southern rock. Gary provides a lot of honed riffage and soulful blues runs. The man does what he does best, and he does it with his own style. Dale can flat out sing. Her voice is smoky and strong. She is a true and rare talent. She brings the heart and soul to each of these songs, whether they are rockers, bluesy numbers or ballads.
“Highway of Love” opens the album and is a good, strong rock song, with a Skynyrd-type country flavor. “Light a Candle” is an emotional tune that Dale unleashes her talents upon. “Good Side of Good” is a Reverend Billy G rocker that is likely to be the song that gets the most attention on the album. The song rocks and will be welcome in a live setting should this couple go out and tour. “Where Did Our Love Go” is once again owned by Dale. She can sing a ballad that can make you cry and then unleash her powerful side as she does on the song “Two Very Different Things.”
Do not confuse this as a batch of rejected Skynyrd songs. No, that is not what is going on here. This is an album the couple has wanted to do themselves for years, and the songs were crafted with some of the best in the business. That said, don’t expect this to sound like Lynyrd Skynyrd, either... which is a good thing. These tracks have their own flavor. Here, we get more acoustic tones, more bar room blues and more soulfulness.
Tom Lipsky, President of Loud & Proud Records, summed it up best when he said, “It is a joy and an honor to bring this very special music to the fans. Take It on Faith is beautiful and personal, full of emotion crafted with superb musicianship, and it showcases the extraordinary talent of both Gary and Dale.”
Take It on Faith Track listing:
01. Highway of Love
02. I Should’ve Known
03. Take It On Faith
04. Light A Candle
05. Dance While You’re Cookin’
06. Shame On Me
07. Good Side of Good
08. Through My Eyes
09. Something Fishy
10. Too Many Rainy Days
11. Where Did Love Go
12. Two Very Different Things
Players on Take It On Faith:
Gary Rossington – guitar
Dale Rossington – vocals
Jack Holder – guitar
Richie Hayward – drums
Bruce McCabe – piano, keyboards
Delbert McClinton- harmonica
Gary Nicholson – guitar
David Smith – bass
Reese Winans – organ
Kenny Greenburg – guitar overdubs
Michael Rojas – piano
Gordon Mote – piano and B3 overdubs
Shawn Camp – dobro
Bekka Bramlett & Vicki Hampton – additional vocals
By Jeb “Second Helpings” Wright
