Whatever you say, the sound of the South is not that bad in this year 2019, especially in the Allman Bros style with bands like Allman Goldflies Band, Billy White Jr, and, to put the boot in, here that comes out the debut album of the project implemented by Devon Allman and Duane Betts under the Allman Betts Band brand name, nine titles recorded at the legendary Muscle Shoals Studios.

The firing takes place with "All Night", very energetic in the now recognizable style of Devon Allman forged with the Royal Southern Brotherhood and The Devon Allman Project. One after an other comes the sublime "Shinin", a real jewel composed by Duane Betts with a celestial alchemy that seems to be released from the Seven Turns of the Allman Bros in 1990, where the voice of Duane Betts recalls his father, with guest Johnny Stachela, the flamboyant Californian guitarist who slides like a god, friend of Devon Allman and member of the Devon Allman Project. This same Devon Allman does not let it count on the aerial Southern Boogie "Try" as well as on the title album "Down To The River", where reign pretty parts of guitars. Then the panacea arrives in majesty with "Autumn Breeze", nine minutes of feast where the guitars intertwine in a very "Allmanian" long melodic suite, with a high-ranking guest on the Hammond organ: Chuck Level. The rest has more predictable effects with the titles "Good Ol 'Day" and "Melodies Are Memories". On the other hand a surprise with the good smooth and mid-tempo cover of the Tom Petty "Southern Acccents". We close the stand by "Long Gone" where the voices of Devon and Duane are perfectly in harmony, with always good guitars highlighted. Major point of this record, we must also say the great joy of finding in the band the bass lines of Berry Oakley Jr who had dazzled us with the band Bloodline in 1994. Remains to wish a long road to the Allman Betts Band, who is going to start a European tour through Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, England. And us in all this ? Apparently we are fooled again.

Jacques Dersigny