True sons of Georgia, Blackberry Smoke is back with its eighth album, a collection of three-chord stompers that’s hard to deny. Frontman Charlie Starr has a real knack for penning economical material – you only need to hear a track once or twice to know its hook, chorus, and guitar riff. No wonder Blackberry Smoke has such a rabid following.

With Starr, Paul Jackson, and sideman Benji Shanks on six-string, there’s also plenty of fine pickin’. On “Whatcha Know Good,” Shanks lends a bottleneck drawl to convey a melancholy mood. “Dig a Hole” has a heavy riff reminiscent of Cream’s “Politician”; somehow, the band turns it into a crowd-pleasing anthem. “Hammer and the Nail” kicks off with a funky acoustic lick and wry lyrics before evolving into a raucous Lynyrd Skynyrd-tipped jam. “Like It Was Yesterday” finds an uncanny niche between the Replacements and Badfinger.

Everyone loves a swirling Leslie speaker, and that’s the signature guitar effect on “Be So Lucky.”

Packed with earworms, Be Right Here is easy to like; the writing and arranging are crisp, and the band plays loose, guitar-fueled songs with weapons-grade efficiency. These Georgia boys are rock-and-roll kings.

This article originally appeared in VG’s June 2024 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.