Sunday afternoon Commons Beach concert-goers are in for a treat this weekend with the return of Devon Allman who, with a brand new album due out in September titled 'Ride Or Die', promises to bring "pleasure, pain, and energy to soothe your troubled soul” to the popular lakefront free concert.

Allman, (son of Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers) has walked many roads to earn his place at the head of the Southern rock scene. Followers of the US bandleader’s thrilling two-decade career have come to expect the unexpected, from his post-millennial breakout with Honeytribe, through chart-topping hook-ups with Jack Bruce and Javier Vargas, to acclaimed solo albums like 2013’s Turquoise and 2014’s Ragged & Dirty (praised by the UK’s Blues Magazine as “reminding you why the blues can be, quite simply, the best thing in the world”).      

When the vocalist/guitarist parted ways with Royal Southern Brotherhood in 2014 – having played a pivotal role in the supergroup’s all-conquering early material – there was an audible gasp around the world. Thankfully, one spin of Ride Or Die vindicates Allman’s bold step into the unknown. “I needed to have my own canvas,” he explains, “to stretch out and paint on with no rules, only my visions. Freedom in artistry is essential. Who stands behind a painter and says, ‘Hmmm, no, maybe you should use blue there, not purple’? That’s not anyone I wanna have coffee with!”

Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Stage Studios and Switchyard Studios in May, Ride Or Die found Allman in good company, with the bandleader guiding the core lineup of Tom Hambridge (drums/co-production), Tyler Stokes (guitars) and Steve Duerst (bass) – and enlisting fairydust from Ron Holloway (saxophone), Bobby Yang (strings) and Kevin McKendree (keys). With the chemistry fizzing, it’s a mix that lives, breathes and grooves, the antithesis of the cut-and-paste jobs that hold sway in the Pro Tools era.

Listen to "Ride Or Die" on Soundcloud:  https://soundcloud.com/ruf-records/sets/devon-allman-ride-or-die/s-Ybh9k

Writing all but two of the songs – either alone or in partnership with his compadres – Allman showcases his ability to catch what it means to be human, while following his muse wherever it leads him. On songs like the thumping opening gambit Say Your Prayers or the brittle jab of Galaxies, he invests blues-rock traditions with modern attitude and smarts. “Blues was born down South,” he says, “and it’s a massive part of the culture. But blues is a very open entity in my mind.”

Beyond the blues, this is a showcase for an artist with every colour in his palette. As you’d expect from a man with a famously sprawling vinyl collection – and a tattoo of Curtis Mayfield inked on his left bicep – there are nods here to every genre and era. “This album is really about mixing all of my influences,” says Allman of the varied mood. “Soul, rock, blues, alternative and more. It’s about making an artistic statement, not about fitting into any category. I produced this album to be an eargasm of emotion.”

Some musicians are content to simply spin their wheels, rehash the hits and pick up the paycheck. With Ride Or Die, Devon Allman announces once again that he’s an artist on the move – and invites you to ride shotgun as he takes this career-best new album out on the road through 2016. “You can expect pleasure, pain, and energy to soothe your troubled soul,” he says. “Come take the ride…”

The Commons Beach show on August 7th will begin at 4pm.