Blue Dogs and Friends
Live at the Florence Little Theater
Black River Records
Review by Melissa Ruggieri
Say this about the Charleston, S.C., quartet of Bobby Houck, David Stewart, Hank Futch and Greg Walker - they sure are a dependable bunch. The Blue Dogs' affable Americana rock with the occasional Southern twang tilt isn't groundbreaking, but it's breezy and comforting.
For its seventh album - and third live release - the Dogs are giving fans the first official glimpse of a 1998 concert recorded at the Florence Little Theater in South Carolina.
Packed with originals that veer from the languid "Lazy Man" and the melancholy "Grandma's a Stranger" to the countrified "Cold Sheets of Rain" and "The Way Back" (sung by "friend" Phillip Lammonds), the album's 74 minutes of music will keep your head nodding. The Dogs are joined by a handful of pals, who alternate with the core members on some songs, helping to keep things fresh.
Even its cover of the Grateful Dead's "On the Road Again" meanders with an appreciative airiness, while one of the album's best songs, "All of My Heroes," relates the all-too-typical tale of disappointment when given the opportunity to meet a musical idol ("Seems like things are going great, I caught your mug on MTV. Why are your songs oh-so-sad? You don't seem that sad to me . . . all of my heroes let me down," sings Houck over a dancing electric guitar).
The Blue Dogs' music, while similar to that of the Pat McGee Band, rings with enough maturity to keep the frat boys away - often a good thing. The band performs at 10 p.m. tomorrow at Starr Hill Music Hall in Charlottesville and at 10:30 p.m. Saturday at Alley Katz. B+
