Tailgate Party

by Michael B. SmithCharlie Daniels' Tailgate Party serves as his tribute to the great bands of the South. The CD itself rocks from beginning to end, kicking things off with a retelling of his Southern rock & roll call, "The South's Gonna Do It Again." Next up, Daniels pays homage to Stevie Ray Vaughan, ripping through "Pride and Joy," before tipping his substantial hat to Toy Caldwell and the Marshall Tucker Band with "Can't You See." Perhaps the biggest surprise of the set comes when Charlie Daniels covers Hootie & the Blowfish, the pride of Columbia, SC. His rendition of "Let Her Cry" is genuinely nice, and Daniels' cover of Atlanta Rhythm Section's "Homesick" is a brilliant reminder of the power and hard-rocking energy that Atlanta Rhythm Section possessed. "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" is filled with a maximum dose of good humor, and lots of good old-fashioned Charlie Daniels Band guitar work. The Georgia Satellites would be proud. "Statesborro Blues" serves as Daniels' tribute to the Allman Brothers Band, and the Charlie Daniels Band delivers a rousing rendition of the Grinderswitch hit "Peach County Jamboree." Covering all the Southern bases, ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" follows, leading into a tender and emotionally charged cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's own tribute to Duane Allman, "Freebird." Following this outstanding salute to the South's greatest players, Daniels and the boys in the band smoke a trio of their own, delivering red-hot versions of their "Legend of Wooley Swamp," "El Toreador," and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."