Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time – Lonesome Skynyrd Time: A Bluegrass Tribute To Lynyrd Skynyrd
There has been a plethora of bluegrass tributes to classic rock acts as of late. The majority seem to be done as some sort of tongue-in-cheek “ain’t we cute” type of affair. But unlike Hayseed Dixie or the recent series of Pickin’ On releases, Lonesome Skynyrd Time ain’t no joke.
Larry Cordle’s goal was to record the songs as he felt Skynyrd would have done them if they had been playing bluegrass instruments. He wanted to stick to the same arrangements, mainly to capture that drive and punch. With the help of his Lonesome Standard Time band and two of the original Skynyrd backup singers, Carol Chase and Kim Morrison, he succeeded.
The stars here are guitarist Booie Beach, mandolinist Andy Leftwich, and dobro player Kim Gardner. As soon as the leadoff track, J.J. Cale’s “Call Me The Breeze”, kicks off, it’s clear that these three can easily conjure up the three-guitar assault of the original band. It’s certainly truer to the spirit of Skynyrd than the current lineup of the band is.
Things only get better from there. In addition to the more recognized songs such as “Saturday Night Special” and “Tuesday’s Gone”, there are also lesser-known tunes such as “Things Going On”. There’s also a Cordle original, “Southern By The Grace Of God”, written about the band. And, of course, a Skynyrd tribute wouldn’t be complete without “Sweet Home Alabama”, “Gimme Three Steps”, and “Freebird”.
Against all odds, Cordle and Lonesome Standard Time have managed to make these tunes, overplayed by every classic rock station in the world, interesting again.