The sound of Blackberry Smoke, as captured on the group’s BamaJam album, Little Piece of Dixie, taps into the pride, defiance, heartbreak and joy of deep-fried Country and Southern rock. That makes it all the more surprising that the group built its reputation as a killer live act in Wisconsin and Michigan before returning to its home ground in Atlanta.

That says a lot about the reach of their songs as well as their stage presence. Fronted by Alabama native Charlie Starr on lead vocals, guitar, pedal steel and banjo, guitarist and singer Paul Jackson from Florida, keyboardist Brandon Still from South Carolina and brothers Richard Turner on bass and vocals and Brit Turner on drums from Georgia, Blackberry Smoke echoes The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd but also draws from the song craft and blues roots of The Rolling Stones, the star-dusted croon of Gram Parsons, bluegrass and Hank Williams.

Produced by Dann Huff and Justin Niebank, Little Piece of Dixie makes this clear from the top. The first single, “Good One Comin’ On,” written by David Lee Murphy, Gary Nicholson and Lee Roy Parnell, lays out a workin’ man’s plan for a rowdy weekend over a snaky slide guitar line and a drum groove that saunters and slams. Starr drawls through the lyric, with references to “two six-packs of Shiner, 99-cent butane lighter, Lucky Strikes” and other delights, all of them adding up to the promise of “a good one comin’ on.”

With Starr weighing whether to deal with bills or finish his beer, “Bottom of This,” written by Gene Kennedy and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Rickey Medlocke, broadcasts the central theme of these 12 tracks: Everyday concerns can be just as important as loftier issues. There are more reflective moments too, but these come up in the Willie Nelson tune “Yesterday’s Wine” — and as Starr shares the mic with Jamey Johnson and George Jones , those reflections carry the grit of wisdom learned through living with neither compromise nor regret.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS Q&A

DREAM DUET PARTNER
“Emmylou Harris.”

SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN
“‘Song for You,’ by Leon Russell.”

FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD
“Dunkin’ Donuts coffee.”

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHT STAND
“Ava’s Man, by Rick Bragg.”

SONG YOU SING IN THE SHOWER
“Any song my wife hates. And I try to sing ’em all like Michael McDonald.”

(ANSWERS BY CHARLIE STARR)

Profile provided by CMA Close Up News Service.