Album Review: Alabama 'Southern Drawl'

Country Music Hall of Fame members, superstar trio Alabama, have won Grammys, CMAs and the ACM’s Entertainer of The Year award (five times). Entertaining for decades, they were brought back into the mainstream audiences’ eyes in 2011 when Brad Paisley had them guest on his hit “Old Alabama.” Now, fourteen years after their last album of new material, Alabama returns on September 18th with the thirteen track collection, Southern Drawl. As evidenced from the title track and album opener, Alabama have definitely embraced some trends and added modern touches to their sound. The song, about living in the south, is a full on rocker complete with crunchy electric guitar and rap/spoken word. In a similar vein is “Footstompin Music” with its use of a vocal echo and thumping percussion, and the humorous “Hillbilly Wins The Lotto Money” which tells what happens when an overall wearing, Marlboro smoking man wins the lottery. The toe tapping “Back To The Country,” with fiddle and banjo, extols the virtues of country living while “American Farmer” is an ode to those hard working men and women who are “feeding the red, white, and blue.”

Things soften up and become more traditional, with Owens’ vocals delivering a warmth and sincerity, on “Wasn’t Through Loving You Yet,” a mid-tempo modern country tune about a relationship on the brink, the timeless and emotional “This Ain’t Just A Song,” and the sweet, hopeful “As Long As There’s Love.” Alison Krauss guests on “Come Find Me” about missing a love while on the road while Gentry takes the lead on “It’s About Time” which focuses on taking responsibility for the earth. The uplifting “No Bad Days,” sexy “One On One” and heart tugging ballad “I Wanna Be There” round out the record.

Southern Drawl isn’t the same old Alabama, but it has enough to please both their old fans and draw in the new.

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