Highway Call
by: Dickey Betts
(Polydor)
Released in 1974, Highway Call counted as the first solo album by Dickey Betts. The Allman Brothers released Brothers And Sisters the previous year, and then the group took a break. Recorded at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia, Highway Call contains 35-minutes of laid back country-based tunes.
Highway Call opens with "Long Time Gone", a pedal steel-laced number. The musicians on this session include, Betts, Chuck Leavell, David Walshaw, Oscar Adams, Johnny Sandlin, Tommy Talton, Vassar Clements, Stray Straton and the Poindexter family.
"Rain" showcases the fluid electric guitar-style of Betts. These songs retain an earthy authenticity. The title track should be played on the open road with one's past in the rear view mirror. A soulful resonance descends as this composition plays.
"Let Nature Sing", a lush country-gospel number, takes you far back into the dense woods where one must by travel by dirt road. "Hand Picked", an amazing 14-minute instrumental, sounds as if it were an outtake from a Hank Williams album.
The final cut, a Vassar Clements song called "Kissimmee Kid", stands as another vintage instrumental that illustrates the high-lonesome sound that leads a wandering spirit straight out of town. Heed the call...
James Calemine
RELATED LINKS
Swampland Dickey Betts Interview
Swampland Chuck Leavell Interview
Swampland Johnny Sandlin Interview
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