These are two mighty fine solo efforts by the undisputed chairman of southern rock singers.Laid Back was recorded in the early 70s, following the uncannily similar deaths of brother Duane and bassist Barry Oakley a few months apart. Devoid of long jams and typical Allman Brothers fare, Laid Back represents a side of Gregg that no one had seen before. He just nails Jackson Browne’s These Days, adding a soulful richness not found in the original cut. There are other showcase songs for his fine singing style – Queen of Hearts and i>Multi-Colored Lady are two favorites. The album opens with a remake of Midnight Rider, the only song that received a little airplay.   I personally like the Idlewild South version much better, but they’re both great.   The album wraps up with Will the Circle Be Unbroken, sung gospel-style and perhaps conveying some heavenly wishes for his fallen loved ones.

Searching for Simplicity (1997) is a real sleeper – I had never really heard of it until a couple of years ago.  Gregg’s extremely fine remake of Whipping Post is, alone, worth the price of the CD.   Not better than the original, but way different and way cool.  Other great songs include House of Blues, Love the Poison, and Jimmy Hall’s Rendezvous With the Blues. Searching for Simplicity is, predictably, kind of simple….just straight-forward, well-crafted bluesy numbers with a heavy southern flavor.

These two solo CDs are worthy complements to your Allman Brothers collection.  He’s the real thing…..same as always. GD