Heart of Pine’s Southedelic sound may come across as a little formulaic at times, but ultimately the band proves that a bit of southern boogie now and again is a good thing.
The band Heart of Pine was formed in 2015 in Athens, Georgia, joining a list of bands emanating from the city, including the Black Crowes, R.E.M. and The B-52s. Heart of Pine list, among their influences, The Allman Brothers Band, The Band, Little Feat and Lynyrd Skynyrd, so you can expect their sound to be southern rock-tinged. Founding members Steven Bagwell (guitar and vocals) and Travis Richardson (guitar) are joined in the lineup by Jesse Fountain on keyboards, Boone Hood on bass and drummer Todd Headley.
“Southern Soul Revival” is the outfit’s sophomore full-length release. The album was recorded at Japanski Studios in Athens (which has a famous 24-track Neve console that came from Capitol Studios in Los Angeles); it was produced by Matt Tamisin and Heart of Pine. The record follows 2019’s debut album release “Highly Flammable” and 2020’s EP, “Southedelic Volume 1“, the EP was named after the band’s description of their sound, ‘Southedelic’. The band describe Southedelic as “southern psychedelia and back porch storytelling”.
The record commences with ‘Gone’, back to nature opener, featuring the sounds of tree frogs, tettigoniidae (known colloquially as katydids), bullfrogs and nightbirds, representing the sounds of the Flint River which was an inspiration for the song. It’s a relatively gentle way to kick off proceedings. ‘Hello Heartache’ which has a theme reminiscent of Steve Earle’s ‘My Old Friend the Blues’, with Bagwell singing “Hello heartache where have you been, It’s been a long while since I seen my old friend, When she walked out the door you came on creepin’ in“. ‘Movin’ On’ continues in a similar vein musically and features impressive backing vocals contributed by Betsy Franck and Ansley Stewart. ‘Fool’s Game’ is a little slower but still features prominent guitar licks and organ.
Just when you think it’s all starting to sound a little samey, ‘This Way’ freshens things up, with horns, organ and electric piano the prominent instruments with saxophone supplanting guitar for the fills. One of the singles released prior to the LP’s release is ‘Voodoo Leg Bone’ and this features more horns supporting a hypnotic guitar riff. A cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘She Belongs to Me’ appears next; this song, which first appeared on Dylan’s 1965 release “Bringing It All Back Home” has previously been covered by a whole host of artists, from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Tina Turner, but Heart of Pine perform it in their own Southedelic style, featuring a really nice organ solo. ‘EmGAB’ is pretty much a jam, highlighting the players’ skills and perhaps providing insight as to what the band are like in the live environment. Travis claims that “we had trouble naming this one” so that explains the song’s title. The record closes with the highlight, ‘Phetamine & Pearls’ a song that often opens the band’s live shows; it’s about a girl who is lots of fun to be with, but she’s not the ‘settling down’ type.
The sound of this record follows a similar format to that of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot and Molly Hatchet, with a nod to The Allman Brothers at times. In common with the output from the aforementioned bands, the sound is characterised by catchy tunes, big vocals (with a strong southern accent evident), prominent guitar fills along with extensive riffing and soloing. With the caveat that there’s not a great deal of variety across the record, it’s an enjoyable listen.
