Lynyrd Skynyrd, (pronounced ‘lĕh-’nérd ‘skin-’nérd)

Impressions: Lynyrd Skynryd’s weird name (in honor of a gym teacher,) Southern-fried boogie rock, tragic plane-crash history and long soloing is all very easy to make fun of. Most people (especially us who are not Southern By The Grace Of God) do this reflexively, like those smartasses that shout “Freebird” at any concert, without even really knowing anything about the music they are lampooning. I will attempt to rise above that… The lurching greasy guitar-riff driven “I Ain’t The One” shows off their chops and style immediately and tosses on some boogie piano for good measure. They slow things down nicely with “Tuesday’s Gone” and aren’t afraid to jam or let songs go one for a while. Unlike most modern “jam” bands, these guys somehow keep my attention. Their single “Gimme Three Steps” is a fun, relatively short rocker in the classic tradition of “they hate me cause my hair is long and I get all their girls” that somehow didn’t come across as ruined by classic rock radio for me. “Simple Man,” “Mississippi Kid” and “Poison Wiskey” are all built on this clean, interwoven three guitar (!) sound spiked with boogie piano, is like a cheap, refreshing ale that you didn’t like when you were young but, as you got older, you find more appealing in the midst of today’s hoppy porters and whiskey-barrel stouts. I might have not enjoyed the Sykynrd in my 20s but, even though it’s not quite my style, it goes down nicely now. I don’t even know if it’s possible to listen to “Free Bird” without making a joke about lighters alighting for ’70s overwrought guitar ballads, but seriously, everyone cool out, it’s not a horrible song.

Starred Songs: “Gimme Three Steps,”
Sneaky Track: “I Ain’t The One,” “Poison Whiskey”
Should this be on the list: Absolutely
Will You Listen To This Album Again: I could see that