1.
FRONTLINE (Don Cameron/Rusty Milner)
2. TWO HEARTS FALLEN (Tim Lawter/Doug
Gray)
3. TAN YARD ROAD (Rusty
Milner/Jerry Eubanks)
4. FULL MOON RISING (Nich Pugliese)
5. CAROLINA PARTY (Doug
Gray/Rusty Milner)
6. I LOVE YOU (Doug Gray/Rusty
Milner/Tommy Caldwell)
7. CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE (Doug
Gray/Rusty Milner)
8. DRIVING YOU OUT OF MY MIND (Tim
Lawter)
9. SOUTHERN SPIRIT (Don Cameron)
10. LET ME COME HOME (Rusty
Milner)
Released in 1992, Still Smokin was the first of two CDs the band released
on the Cabin Fever music label, and it marked the first time that Cabin
Fever ventured into the music industry. Previously they were known for their
video tape releases, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's Tribute Tour and the 500
Home Run Club. The CD has been reissued by Doug's label, Ramblin
Records.
The CD opens with "Frontline," an upbeat tune
with a catchy Rusty Milner guitar riff, followed by Jerrry Eubank's searing sax.
With Don Cameron's piano, Milner's guitar, and Eubank's sax, this song is a
classic Marshall Tucker tribute to those willing to take a stand, on the
frontline. The second cut, "Two Hearts Falling" is a poignant
love song written by Tim Lawter and Doug Gray.
"Tan Yard" is an upbeat romp about "a
dirt road where people seldom go" and of "stories left untold."
In the promotional single released by the band, Doug reminisces about the road
back home in Spartanburg that inspired the song. Jerry plays a haunting flute
and Stuart grooves down the road with his slide guitar. Ace Allen's drums
and Rusty's guitar are at their best. The band also created a video for
the documentary, "Then and Now".
"Full Moon Rising" is a bluesy jaunt about
lost love, with Jerry's sax, a horn section, and Cameron's keyboard. This
song takes a journey back to the days of big band, when swing was king.
"Carolina Party" features the band at its
raucous best and kicks off with a groovy bass line provided by Tim, followed
closely with a rip-roaring horn section that makes you want to get up and dance.
Stuart solos on slide, Don plays the organ and Jerry is at his saxiest best.
"I Love You" slows the pace on Still
Smokin. As a tender ballad, this song begins with simple acoustic guitars
and builds to a crescendo with piano, electric guitar, and Doug Gray at
his soulful best. Interestingly, this song was written by Gray, Milner, and the
late Tommy Caldwell.
Countering "I Love You" is a Gray/Milner
arrangement, "Can't Take It Anymore." It seeths with frustration and
boogies with the blues. Eubanks' groovin' sax, Gray's searing vocals,
along with Milner's bluesy guitar make this one of the highlights of the
release.
"Driving You Out Of My Mind" is a forlorn
country tune with a steel guitar that winds down the highway as its
lost lover reminisces about a romance that is no more. Released both as a
single and a video to country music formats, CMT gave the video considerable air
time and re-introduced a generation of fans to the Marshall Tucker Band.
Without a doubt, "Southern Spirit " is a
classic Tucker tune. Relentless from its beginning, "Southern
Spirit" jumps in your face with Cameron's rising organ and Stuart's funky
slide guitar. A classic piano solo by Don will get you on your feet
instantly. The song asks the question "people can you feel it shakin up the
floor" and goes on to say that "your whole world will be rockin' when
that southern spirit comes to town". Anyone who knows the band
realizes this is an understatement.
The CD concludes with the bluesy and soulful "Let
Me Come Home." It's obvious Doug loves to wrap his vocals around a
slow blues tune such as this. Jerry and Rusty trade off smoky solos as Don
tickles the keyboards, and David's brush on the drums adds just the perfect
touch.
This album is definitive Marshall Tucker. The new
generation of players carries on the Southern Spirit with integrity and pride
and proves that after all these years the band is Still Smokin. Doug and
Jerry should be proud!
- Craig Cumberland