Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced 'Leh-'nerd 'Skin-'nerd) [LP]

Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals); Ed King (guitar, bass); Gary Rossington, Allen Collins (guitar); Billy Powell (keyboards); Robert Burns (drums).
Additional personnel: Steve Katz (harmonica); Roosevelt Cook (mandolin, Mellotron, organ, bass, bass drum, background vocals); Robert Nix (drums); Bobbi Hall (percussion).
Engineers include: Bob "Tub" Langford, Rodney Mills, Danny Turbeville.
Recorded at Studio One, Doraville, Georgia.
More rock than Little Feat, but with a similar Southern boogie feel and absolute top-notch musicianship. [sentence fragment okay with Muze?] Al Kooper produced this record, which explains the sensitive use of strings and piano. Although tracks such as "I Ain't The One," "Simple Man," and "Tuesday's Gone" are outstanding, the one to wait for is "Free Bird," a song that rivals "Stairway To Heaven" for hard rock credibility. The nine-minute epic starts with organ and slide and builds in a similar way, but at 4:44 it changes into fifth gear and the air guitars are out in force.

• Released: 7/31/2015
• Format: Vinyl
• Genre: Rock