Dixie Krauser

Steve Morse (guitar) and T Lavitz (keyboards), the creative foundation of the Dixie Dregs, produced an outstanding record with this effort. Joined by Rod Morgenstein (drums), Andy West (bass). and Alan Sloan (violin), they finally released a studio recording of Cruise Control, a regular show closer for the band to this day. Kat Food is another outstanding track. Carefully arranged and tightly rehearsed, this album represents a tour de force for the band, both in performance and composition. Day 444 is a hidden gem, dedicated to the American hostages held in the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran, for 444 days. This piece is a beautiful ballad that the band rarely performs. This composition alone makes the album worth getting. The band's blend of jazz, rock, country, and western classical music remains as satisfying to listen to as it did when this was released.

The Dixie Highway originally connected Chicago to Miami – the first vital thoroughfare between the Midwest and the South – before eventually being replaced in the late 1920s by the U.S. Highway system. And while fragments of the original road still exist in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio, it remains a route that carries echoes of its past as well as being an enduring symbol of American discovery, fortitude and pride. And on their new album Dixie Highway, southern rock icons The Outlaws take fans on what is literally and figuratively the ride of a lifetime

Their best up to this point. I'm Freaking Out is the top composition they ever did. New keyboardist T Lavitz really shines on that one, as well as Morgenstein. The Great Spectacular is a re-recording of a song from their pre-label release of the same name, and it features one of Morse's best solos ever laid to wax. Both of the Dregs album standards, the classical piece and the country tune have strong representatives on here as well. They thought enough of Road Expense to open their first live album years later. Not a down track on here.

The Dixie Highway originally connected Chicago to Miami – the first vital thoroughfare between the Midwest and the South – before eventually being replaced in the late 1920s by the U.S. Highway system. And while fragments of the original road still exist in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Ohio, it remains a route that carries echoes of its past as well as being an enduring symbol of American discovery, fortitude and pride. And on their new album Dixie Highway, Southern Rock icons Outlaws take fans on what is literally and figuratively the ride of a lifetime. For more than 45 years, the Outlaws have flown the Southern Rock banner like no other band in the land…