The 17 Best Southern Albums of 2017

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The 17 Best Southern Albums of 2017

Southern Blood
Gregg Allman

Southern Blood is Gregg Allman’s last musical will and testament, a spellbinding attempt by the late icon to tie up loose ends, make peace, and move on after his valiant struggle with cancer. Recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals (where his brother, Duane, was once a session player), the album opens with the soaring lament “My Only True Friend;” tackles covers of songs by Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, and Johnny Jenkins; and concludes with the benediction of “Song for Adam,” a poignant duet with longtime pal Jackson Browne. Allman’s gravelly voice conveys every creak and emotion of his 69 years, and Southern Blood will send shivers down the spine of everyone who was touched by the man and his music.

Essential tracks: “My Only True Friend” and the haunting fuzzy crawl of Jenkins’ “Blind Bats and Swamp Rats.”