New Life

I was looking forward to hearing this album after loving the first one and it certainly does not disappoint!!! I did take a listen for it to grow...now I love it. This band is great. I've got their third album on order and I plan to go through the 'classic' 70's ones up to 'Caroline Dreams'. This band is great in that their southern, yet unlike Skynyrd who was more 'stadium southern', these guys heavily incorporate country styles as well as jazz influences. This album contains a great selection of songs, from the title track, which kicks it all off, to 'Fly Eagle Fly', the album closer. The vocals are fab - very powerful and full of feeling. The lead guitar work isn't as prominent on this album however, when he does do some solo's or licks, they're great as always. 'Southern Woman' has a great jazz room feel to it. Awesome jamming. Given the focus on Skynyrd during this period, I believe MTB to be underrated. Overshadowed by the Allmans as a 'fusion' band, (obviously not as great as the ABB are on of the great jam bands) and seemingly playing second fiddle to the power and popularity of Skynyrd, you never really here about MTB...I urge anyone who loves southern style rock or just classic rock anyway to check this band out. What have you got to loose?

BJH on a roll !!

A brilliant band - and lovely to add to my digital collection after giving away all my records three years ago.

This album makes it into my all time top ten rock albums. Good compositions, excellent sound, fantastic playing from everyone in the band. The band at this stage draws on country, jazz, blues and traditional influences. "A New Life" showcases them at their best stretching out with an improvisational "live" but polished feel underpinned by a really good rythm section - Tommy Caldwell's driving bass playing is surely hugely underrated. Every song on this album is equally satisfying in its own way and the band is just as much about Jerry Eubanks Tull-like flute and jazzy sax as Toy Caldwell's virtuoso lead and pedal steel guitar and Doug Grays strong vocals. Not to mention guest fiddle from Charlie Daniels and keyboards from producer Paul Hornsby. Nearest point of general reference would be the Allman's "Brothers and Sisters" album but this band has its own style and a jazzy take on down south country rock. For me this is their very agile, inventive and absorbing best amongst many fine albums. I love everything about it from the cover to the closing bars! If you like this try any of their 70's Capricorn releases such as the "The Marshall Tucker Band" or "Searching For a Rainbow". As an alternative introduction to the band try the excellent studio/live double set "Where we all Belong" which is very good value. I would add that as time progressed I saw a more ploddy, dumbed down, "cowboy" music style creep in and then dominate their music with more emphasis on soulful sax leads. This chrystallised with "Carolina Dreams", which was pleasant enough and commercially very successfull but for me not so musically satisfying. Footnote - the band are still going even now I believe but the line up changed in 1980 when Tommy died tragically and they left Capricorn.