It’s hard to imagine there was a time when “Free Bird” wasn’t a running joke, shouted out at the most awkward moments in concert halls across the country. Or when “Sweet Home Alabama” wasn’t hijacked by the redneck king of hip-hop wannabes. The songs were once the best examples of Jack Daniel’s-fueled Southern rock and triple guitar fireworks.
Fast forward to 2009, and Lynyrd Skynyrd returns with “Gods & Guns,” its 12th studio album and first new material since 2003’s “Vicious Cycle.” Make no mistake — this ain’t your Daddy’s Lynyrd Skynyrd. “Gods & Guns” is more hard rock than anything in its catalog, perhaps due to the fact that the band is down to one original member, guitarist Gary Rossington.
It’s obvious that the ghosts of Ronnie Van Zant and the other departed members still drive the soul of this band. New blood has shifted the music in a different direction, but it may have ended up here even if the 1977 plane-crash tragedy had never happened. “Still Unbroken” practically tells the entire Skynyrd history in five minutes and six seconds. “Broken bones and broken hearts / Stripped down and torn apart / A little bit of rust but I’m still running / Ain’t much left / There’s so much that’s been stolen.” It’s a song this band has every right to record, and even in its 35th year, Skynyrd does a fine job of relating to the everyman.
The old sound does make a brief appearance on “Southern Ways” and “Unwrite That Song,” but there’s more blasting and less boogie across the rest of the CD’s 12 tracks. From the chugging rhythms of “Simple Life” through the country honk of “Floyd” (featuring Rob Zombie), the band appears to be feeling its youth more than its age.
“Gifted Hands” pretty much picks up where “Free Bird” left off, but once again employs a harder edge. The song was recorded in 2008, so it still features the trademark piano of Billy Powell, who passed away earlier this year.
It might be truly difficult for us Yankees to understand the sense of pride and defiance in songs like “Skynyrd Nation,” “That Ain’t My America” and “Southern Ways,” but that shouldn’t stop any fan of hard rock from enjoying “Gods & Guns.”
Rating: W W W
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