The Billy Gibson Band wants to bring horny back. According to their new album, Southern Livin’ is all about ATV-riding, fishing, and drinking ice-cold beer with “real-hot chicks.” That last is tantamount to a mission statement. With Southern Livin’, the band channels Clarence Carter. But where Carter’s raunch works because it’s stated mirthfully yet plainly, Gibson et al. couch the bawdry in sincere and clunker metaphors that never get off the ground. The album isn’t all hound-dog revelry, though, as the begging “One More Time” from last year’s Billy Gibson Band is turned into the complaint “Too Many Times.” Gibson is a magnificent harmonica player and a charismatic performer, and guitarist David Bowen and keyboardist Charlie Wood can hold their own with anyone on Beale, but Southern Livin’ isn’t the right vehicle for them. — GA
Grade: C
