Blackberry Smoke Readies New Album “Like An Arrow”
Blackberry Smoke isn’t just helping to save country music, they’re helping to save Southern rock music, rock music, American music, and music made by real humans sweating on a stage, holding real damn instruments, and testifying. In a time when we can’t agree on anything, music fans from a major swath of the population can agree that Blackberry Smoke is one badass group of hairy dudes. While much of American music has abandoned the authenticity and machismo that’s at the heart of the American sound, Blackberry Smoke has doubled down on it.
Remember back to early 2015 before Aaron Watson, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson were landing #1 records on the country charts? It was actually Blackberry Smoke who claimed the very first independently-released record to go #1 with Holding All The Roses. Now with Thirty Tigers, they will release their next installment Like An Arrow on October 14th, and have released a new single ahead of it called “Waiting for the Thunder” (listen below).
Produced by the band themselves and recorded at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kennesaw, GA, Like An Arrow will feature 12 tracks, including an appearance by Southern rocker Gregg Allman on a song called “Free on the Wing.” This new album will be released on the quickest turnaround for an album since the band formed in the early 2000’s, and for good reason. The appetite for their Southern rock has never been stronger, and we may be witnessing Blackberry Smoke hitting their stride.
“This album is the self-produced culmination of 15 years of trying to plant our flag in the musical landscape. We couldn’t be more proud of it,” says frontman and songwriter Charlie Starr.
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July 23, 2016 @ 9:13 am
The best band out there right now! Nice review Trigger.
July 23, 2016 @ 9:19 am
I saw a photo on facebook, wish I would have saved it, some bro-kountry singer and his 15 songwriters, then it showed Blackberry smoke’s songwriter, it was a pic’ of Charlie!
July 23, 2016 @ 9:23 am
Blackberry Smoke and Whiskey Myers are today’s biggest Southern rock bands . And they both released new singles this week!
July 23, 2016 @ 10:05 am
This song is just Bada**. But, Knew BBS ROCK like no other. Been my #1 for years now. Rest of world needs to wake up! #spreadthesmoke Peace.
July 23, 2016 @ 10:39 am
Ehhh… I just struggle sometimes to appreciate this band…
“Roses” was a good album, but a part of me feels like they pack way too much into each track and the end result is a monotonous drone of noise that swallows the energy they convey…
I have high hopes after “Waiting for the Thunder” because that’s a strong single that puts most of the “Roses” album to shame (my opinion) and I’m definitely expecting this album to be outstanding…
if 2016 started out bad for music, then the back half of 2016 is going to more than make up for it…
I usually come here just to bash Luke Bryan and company, but “Holding all the Roses” was one of the first albums Trigger convinced me to go buy… I remember that the first three were “Southeastern,” “Metamodern Sounds” and “Roses.”
based on the single alone, I’d say the new Blackberry Smoke album will be competing with “Sailor’s Guide to Earth” for album of the year…
July 23, 2016 @ 11:14 am
You should check out their New Honkytonk Bootleg Record. Not as busy as some of their other songs.
July 24, 2016 @ 6:22 pm
I’m much more a fan of their ballads and mid-tempo stuff than their more “rocking” stuff like this song. Don’t get me wrong, songs like this one are good for what they are, but hard rocking songs are something I only really care for in small doses. The good news is Blackberry Smoke, they when do slow it down, has written some damn amazing songs.
August 1, 2016 @ 12:28 pm
Fuzzy – check out BBS’s album Whippoorwill if you haven’t already. IMHO- a much better album than Holding all the Roses. But I also think Southeastern is a better album than Something More than Free (still a good album).
September 13, 2016 @ 3:53 pm
Holding all the Rose’s, was by far their weakest release, by far! Still a decent album. It does not hold a candle to Little Piece of Dixie, Bad Luck Ain’t no crime or The Whipporwill( spelled wrong)
My favorite BBS song of all time is Sunrise in Texas.
I heard them do it in 2009. Watched it on YouTube 100,s of times. And it’s just making and album in 2016. Don’t judge BBS by Rose’s! Please
July 23, 2016 @ 10:41 am
and no, I’m not dissing BBS, but I just don’t listen to their music/albums as often as I do “Something more than Free” or practically anything by the Clancy Brothers…
July 23, 2016 @ 11:22 am
Hell yeah, it’s gonna be awesome! It’s worth mentioning that Whiskey Myers’ new album “Mud” will be out September 9th. For some reason I feel like they get covered less on this site than BBS, even though their sound probably has more country in it than BBS’s. They’re both great bands though, and definitely my top two bands of the modern era.
July 23, 2016 @ 3:30 pm
I love both bands, but Whiskey Myers, at this point, is pretty much a straight up rock band. Southern rock, yes, but rock nonetheless. Saw them a couple of months ago and it’s a fantastic rock show, if you get the chance to see them, go. They are on the Carnival of Madness tour with Shinedown, Halestorm and Black Stone Cherry and will fit right in.
Blackberry Smoke is much closer to the country side of Southern Rock than Whiskey Myers. I love seeing this organic rock movement come out, wherever it originated from. I’m firmly against the notion that rock is dead.
Rock may be in a bad place in the U.S. mainstream right now, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot of good stuff out there. It seems that mainstream music, in general, is not very good.
As Trig pointed out in another article, if someone wants to start a Saving Rock Music or whatever genre, go ahead. What needs to be saved, overall, is good music. We are in an age now, with technology and all, that the music nerds can make a difference. It may take a while for it to transfer to the mainstream, but just at what we have done for Stapleton and Simpson and Isbell. And yes, we have done it, because it damn sure wasn’t radio or record labels.
Sorry to jackknife your post, Andrew, but you provided a perfect launch for my rant.
July 23, 2016 @ 7:12 pm
I agree that they’ve added a lot more rock to their sound, I would define their current sound as a mix of Skynyrd and Zeppelin.
I think the two bands just play different kinds of country music when they do a country song. Blackberry smoke plays classic sounding outlaw, honky-tonk country, whereas Whiskey Myers plays a very minor key, sad, Texas- influenced kind of country music(think broken window serenade or lonely east Texas nights). I think Whiskey Myers started out as the more country of the two(compare their first album, which was a red dirt record, to BBS’, which is almost a hard rock record), but now they’ve both changed. And I think they’ve both changed for the better.
July 26, 2016 @ 4:31 am
Andrew that picture looks an awful lot like an ol’ boy from my neck of the woods…
July 26, 2016 @ 7:02 am
If that ol’ boy is from the West side of a little town called Jacksonville, then you’re right on.
July 31, 2016 @ 7:54 am
RVZ!! Still the best, nobody will ever get close but charlie is doing a damn good job keeping southern rock alive in a world that hates the south.
July 23, 2016 @ 2:38 pm
I really like this single, but I was not a fan if their last album sounded too over produced to me.The earlier albums had a more gritty sound. You should do yourself a favor and see them live. It’s an awesome experience .
July 24, 2016 @ 8:18 am
I agree with everything you wrote. Roses definitely not even close to their best record but on tour behind it they still smoked.
July 23, 2016 @ 2:45 pm
Smell the Smoke their back with a brand new single and a brand new cd,and it sounds like brother Charlie has something to say as he burns up the lead on Waiting on the thunder….The bells will ring,and flames will rise,two thousand years of fury in the big black sky,the wind will blow,and the rain will fall,waiting for the thunder,or will the lightning kill us all…….Wow just the words of Waiting on the thunder make this song a hit,so listen up Grammy people.Blackberry Smoke is here to stay and they aint going no where but up the charts so get used to it.Blackberry Smoke is what the original Lynyrd Skynyrd was and that is The Real Deal.
July 23, 2016 @ 4:20 pm
I’d like to tell you, that will kick major ass live! Might rival “like I am” live.
July 23, 2016 @ 4:23 pm
I LOVE Blackberry Smoke they are Southern Rock. When did our music turn into picking out each tune like racist flavors? That’s part of my deep rooted love for this band. Is the different flavors of different tunes. Same as Whiskey Meyers. The door swings both ways to fit your mood. They should be applauded to bringing REAL music back. No Auto tunes. Real picking & grinning & crowd grabbing performances. If you ever came to a BBS family reunion you would see just like their music. Folks come from all over the world to see them. Sometimes we sign louder than Charlie. Because ..we ALL UNITE & become ONE Big Family. I have been following these true genius musicians around for years. I NEVER met or took someone to a show who wasn’t thoughly IMPRESSED. I’m not sure what or why calling these men hairy guys has to do with music performance. Do we say others are ugly.? Drunk? Prison life?Mean? Pretty? Why Judge at all?! Just shocking what appearance has to do with any of the music. I like Whiskey Meyers. Also. Their southern rock to me. I can’t imagen who or why someone would put with Halestorm (curious what you describe her as?) Or Shinedown. Their more hard Rock to me. And, I also Like them both.Depending on moods the music choices. Where BBS & whiskey Meyers is like a sampler plate of excellent. A little bit of something for Everyone. Might be why their fans bases grown the last decade to numbers that others obtain their whole carrier. I Love the New song Big time. Cody’s didn’t grab me as much as Miranda Lamberts new song Vice. She sings Rock to ballads to country. Just amazing to me we have to be always labeled & Identified in life.All 3 artists are bands that I do NOT Ever skip a song to. Which is rare . music lover since 1960.We don’t need Labels. Just enjoy! I don’t comprehend why both aren’t at CMA’s because defiantly better than some performing!!
July 23, 2016 @ 9:44 pm
Although this was not a direct reply to my post, I’m guessing it was at least partially directed at me since I’m the only one to mention Halestorm and Shinedown.
There is a lot to unpack in that post, but I’ll only address the part that I know was directed towards me.
I posited a couple of years ago that a Halestorm/Whiskey Myers tour would be beneficial to both. I think the Carnvial of Madness bill will reap huge benefits for Whiskey Myers. It will put them in front of a bunch of people they would not otherwise reach. And they’ll kill it.
What would I describe Halestorm (her?) as? An American hard rock band. Lzzy Hale in an impressive vocalist and the rest of the band is more than competent. They definitely are not everyone’s cup of tea, but I like their music. I’ll have a stronger opinion after I see them live in October with Lita Ford and Dorothy.
July 23, 2016 @ 8:54 pm
love the new single and can’t wait for the album i liked roses but as a lot of others have said it was a bit overproduced
really hoping to see these guys next weekend cause they’re playing in my hometown on friday night, same place i saw jamey johnson last year
July 24, 2016 @ 8:24 am
Just watched a live performance by them, they broke into three little birds by bob marley, Georgia style…
lol “don’t worry….. bout a thang”
They must be one of the tightest bands around. Their Live performances could be recorded and released as a perfect album.
Another great tune from them.
Thanks a lot
July 24, 2016 @ 10:18 am
Well ….its real playing and singing ( and tambourine-ing ) a real Hammond B3 and real energy . And REAL retro …at least this particular track . A bit too cut-time ‘AC-DC’ for my taste …but I did like their last record …particularly their smart approach to lyrics on that disc although I , too, found some of it too busy . But again …that’s just me . Its nowhere near country , of course , and I don’t think its trying to be. But yeah ….full marks for being real….. if derivative .
July 24, 2016 @ 2:58 pm
Good band. What’s with the name.
September 13, 2016 @ 4:00 pm
Chris Robinson suggested it to them.
Said after he had calledThe Black Crowed that.
He later thought Blackberry Smoke would of been cool. They were welcome to use it and they did.
July 24, 2016 @ 4:30 pm
Great band looking forward to the new album.Saw them live when they were over in Scotland last November and they were superb.Their rendition of Sabbaths Fairies Wear Boots was amazing.
Off topic but it’s been great recently with a lot of my favourite country/americana artists coming over to these shores.As well as BS I’ve caught Sturgill Simpson (4times) Jason Isbell , Hayes Carl, Richmond Fontaine, Steve Earle, Ryan Bingham,The Lone Bellow,OCMS,Daniel Romano.
Keep sending them over !
July 24, 2016 @ 8:37 pm
I know Blackberry Smoke is liked on here, but I think they have gotten progressively worse since their first album. I really liked them initially, but they have lost their appeal for me. They are better as a southern rock band than as a country band.
Since they are self producing this time instead of using Nashville producers, I hope they get their edge back.
July 25, 2016 @ 4:21 am
Sounds promising. They owe us one after that last misstep of an album. Just shows you how much of an influence the producer has.
(I would have ended the solo different on this song;)
July 25, 2016 @ 7:32 am
Whippoorwill is an awesome album. I always find myself playing that album end to end. Holding all the Roses good material. I think the production got in the way a lil bit, but still solid.
I’ve seen BBS handful of times and will go again.
Seeing them with Govt Mule soon.
BBS actually introduced me to The Temperance Movement, when they had them opening for them. That was a helluva show.
I’ll always support these guys.
My wife really likes them too.
July 29, 2016 @ 1:49 pm
I saw the same show, that got me into temperance movement as well. And yup, awesome show by both bands!
July 25, 2016 @ 1:51 pm
In my opinion, the best southern rock band today is Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. Straight ahead southern rock with out pretense or compromise.
July 26, 2016 @ 10:25 am
Love Lee BainsIII and the Glory Fires! No other band in the southern rock genre brings it live better than they do.
July 28, 2016 @ 3:51 pm
That album cover art looks like a nazi eagle, no? When I googled “nazi eagle” to double check, it looks earily similar to the third picture that came up.
July 28, 2016 @ 5:58 pm
Never occurred to me that it’s a Nazi eagle. The cover is clearly a Native American motif with a title “Like an Arrow,” an arrow at the bottom, the tail feathers, etc., and it looks like a Native American eagle to me. I guess the boxy wings are similar to the Nazi eagle, but goodness, I can’t imagine in this day and age that’s what Blackberry Smoke was going for, even subversively.
August 1, 2016 @ 10:02 am
caught their show on friday night and loved it the guys can actually play really well and they sound he same live as they do on record also got the whippoorwill at the show and have been listening ever since can’t wait for this new album
September 29, 2016 @ 2:22 am
just another good bar band with exceptionally long hair