Get Right with the Man (CD - 2005)

Van Zant: Donnie Van Zant, Johnny Van Zant.

Personnel: John Willis (acoustic guitar); Kenny Greenberg, Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Russ Pahl (steel guitar, lap steel guitar, banjo); Glen Duncan (fiddle); Reese Wynans (piano, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards); Glenn Worf, Michael Rhodes (bass guitar); Greg Morrow (drums, percussion); Eric Darken (percussion); Jeffrey Steele, Bekka Bramlett, Perry Coleman (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank.

Recording information: The Sound Kitchen, Franklin, TN; The Tin Ear, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Chapman Baehler.

When brothers Johnny and Donnie Van Zant get together, it's not just another record in the country-rock world, it's an event. The instantly identifiable voices of .38 Special and Lynyrd Skynyrd are teaming up for the first time under their own surname (just Van Zant) -- and the results are nothing short of a modern southern classic. Leaning more on the country side of things than rock is a big risk, but one that pays off. The themes of the 11-song showcase tread familiar waters: love, loss, heartache, family, being homesick, and partying -- all make their grand appearances in here in one fashion or another. But the real gem of Get Right with the Man is the sincerity with which these topics are treated. Never have the brothers sounded so relaxed behind a microphone, and the results are a pure southern barnburner of a good time from start to finish. ~ Rob Theakston

Southern rock and country are musical kissing cousins, so it's no huge surprise that .38 Special frontman Donnie Van Zant and his brother Johnny (of latter-day Lynyrd Skynyrd) cut an album steeped in the sounds of the latter genre. GET RIGHT WITH THE MAN finds the Brothers Van Zant delving into pedal-steel-stoked fare that focuses on blue-collar rebellion ("Nobody Gonna Tell Me What to Do"), bar-brawling ("Takin' Up Space"), and rough roads traveled ("Been There Done That"), and fits in nicely with the contemporary country scene.

Everyday people populate these songs, ranging from the waitress at the heart of the sassy "Plain Jane" to the grandfatherly "hillbilly scholar" whose words of wisdom define the tearjerker "Help Somebody." Fans of the duo's rock & roll side need not worry, though, given the jaunty, Skynyrd-like jam "Lovin' You" (replete with female harmony vocals) and the mid-tempo barnstormer "Sweet Mama." GET RIGHT WITH THE MAN presents Donnie and Johnny Van Zant exploring their country roots, but there's still a fair share of Southern rock on this lively album. minimize