Charlie Daniels'
Tailgate Party serves as his tribute to the great bands of the South. The CD itself rocks from beginning to end, kicking things off with a retelling of his Southern rock & roll call, "The South's Gonna Do It Again." Next up,
Daniels pays homage to
Stevie Ray Vaughan, ripping through "Pride and Joy," before tipping his substantial hat to
Toy Caldwell and
the Marshall Tucker Band with "Can't You See." Perhaps the biggest surprise of the set comes when
Charlie Daniels covers
Hootie & the Blowfish, the pride of Columbia, SC. His rendition of "Let Her Cry" is genuinely nice, and
Daniels' cover of
Atlanta Rhythm Section's "Homesick" is a brilliant reminder of the power and hard-rocking energy that
Atlanta Rhythm Section possessed. "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" is filled with a maximum dose of good humor, and lots of good old-fashioned
Charlie Daniels Band guitar work.
The Georgia Satellites would be proud. "Statesborro Blues" serves as
Daniels' tribute to
the Allman Brothers Band, and
the Charlie Daniels Band delivers a rousing rendition of the
Grinderswitch hit "Peach County Jamboree." Covering all the Southern bases,
ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man" follows, leading into a tender and emotionally charged cover of
Lynyrd Skynyrd's own tribute to
Duane Allman, "Freebird." Following this outstanding salute to the South's greatest players,
Daniels and the boys in the band smoke a trio of their own, delivering red-hot versions of their "Legend of Wooley Swamp," "El Toreador," and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."