Album Review: Dave Cobb’s ‘Southern Family’
Cobb has raised the bar here, but given his history, I think he’ll continue to do in the not-too-distant future!
Let me just start this review by saying that Dave Cobb is a genius. Listen to the latest works from Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell, throw in some underrated gems from Shooter Jennings and the Oak Ridge Boys, as well as the best of Jamey Johnson, and you come away with a feeling of just how special Cobb is. He was nominated for overall Producer of the Year at the recent Grammy Awards – and that’s something that just doesn’t happen to Nashville producers that often.
For this, a long-awaited project that was inspired by the classic 1978 album White Mansions, Cobb has gathered some of his favorite artists together for a tribute to the ways of the South. This definitely qualifies as an “Event Record,” because on each track, Cobb seems to pull out the best of each and every artist represented.
Kicking off the album is John Paul White’s “Simple Song.” The production definitely lives up to that description for the former member of The Civil Wars. It has a light and easy feel that also borders on haunting just a little, as well. That same vibe can be heard on Miranda Lambert’s “Sweet By and By.” It’s a track that manages to be exquisite and stark. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Lambert veer off in somewhat of a more organic sound like this in the future. That might not go over too well with the crossover minded Sony, but I think she’s an artist who can dictate (at least partially) her own path. This would be a good one to go down.
There’s also a bit of nostalgia on this album. “Mama’s Table” from Jamey Johnson is very much in this style. Johnson originally wrote the track for the Oaks a few years ago on their 2009 album The Boys Are Back (produced by Cobb), and he works his magic well on the song. Then, you have an artist like Zac Brown – who has been a little more experimental as of late – recording one of the finest songs of his career with the sentimental “Grandma’s Garden.”
And, greatness happens on Southern Family in other places you would expect it to. Brandy Clark proves why her storytelling is held in such high esteem on the powerful “I Cried,” and Shooter Jennings re-visits the ‘Outlaw’ sound on “Can You Come Over.” Then, there’s Morgane Stapleton’s shimmering take on “You Are My Sunshine,” complete with husband Chris’s gritty harmonies. I could describe how utterly unforgettable this track is……but there are no words. It’s just that damn good.
The disc comes to a close with the Sunday-morning redemption of Black Crowes’ founder Rich Robinson’s “The Way Home,” a reminder of how life still is in the south in such spots as Water Valley, KY, Burns, TN, and Iuka, MS. This is southern life, and southern culture in a way that still proudly exists. Cobb has raised the bar here, but given his history, I think he’ll continue to do in the not-too-distant future!
