Royal Southern Brotherhood
Album: Royal Southern Brotherhood
Label: RUF
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.royalsouthernbrotherhood.com

With a nucleus drawn from two of R&B's most glorious dynasties - the Allmans and the Nevilles - there's a certain expectation involved in putting the RSB's debut album on the player. And by the end of the first verse of album opener New Horizons it's pretty clear that such expectations are about to be surpassed.

With Cyril Neville handling most of the lead vocals and Zevon (son of Gregg) Allman pumping up a rootsy electric guitar boogie in response, there are good things happening from the start - and pretty soon after you're hit by the realisation that the rhythm section of Charlie Wooton (bass) and Yonrico Scott (drums) is pretty darned special as well. The final piece of the jigsaw is the smooth, soulful rhythm guitar of Mike Zito that anchors the backing for Allman's showier runs.

Perhaps the most striking thing about the album is that not only does it manage to avoid the temptation to co-opt either the gumbo soul stew of the Nevilles or the Allman's southern fried boogie, it also (for the most part) steers clear of blues rock formula.

Even at its most conventional (Gotta Keep Rockin') it stirs a Gothic heart to ring the changes. More representative (and successful) are the carefully constructed geographical treatises Left My Heart in Memphis and Moonlight Over the Mississippi which draw on the band's special spirit to channel all manner of ghosts while retaining modern flavour.

A cover of the Dead's Fire on the Mountain only adds more grits to this superslick gravy.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk