Rounder

With the rise of such acts as Eric Church and Zac Brown, American country rock is hotter than ever in 2015. Indeed it is the perfect time for Atlanta’s Blackberry Smoke to strike with its fantastic fourth album, Holding All The Roses. Produced by superstar studio man Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC), this 12-pack of new songs find the road-tested quintet in top form, boasting a stadium-ready sound a good country mile away from the barn-born rawness of their earliest work. In an era where the likes of Kings of Leon have been leading the pack with their hipster doofusness, its truly great to hear ripping tunes like opening cut “Let Me Help You (Find the Door)”, “Living in the Song” and “Too High” muscle through with a style that is seemingly equal parts Big Star, Dixie Dregs and Ragin’ Slab. If you like your Southern rock fried hard, Holding All The Roses is the album for you, no doubt. Catch them this summer if you know what’s good for you.