Van Zant

Capturing a tribute concert held on November 12, 2014 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, the double-disc One More for the Fans is studded with Southern rock stars, along with a bunch of country acts, bluesmen, Cheap Trick, and John Hiatt…

Capturing a tribute concert held on November 12, 2014 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, the One More for the Fans is studded with Southern rock stars, along with a bunch of country acts, bluesmen, Cheap Trick, and John Hiatt…

.With their classic early lineup, anchored by the swagger, grit, and heart of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, Lynyrd Skynyrd merged Allman Brothers guitars with barrelhouse piano (courtesy of keyboardist Billy Powell, a bigger part of Skynyrd's classic sound than most people realize), then tossed in a big dose of hard rock attitude and gave it all credence with a kind of blustering and cocky honky tonk sensibility…

Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote the book on Southern rock with their first album, so it only made sense that they followed it for their second album, aptly titled Second Helping. Sticking with producer Al Kooper (who, after all, discovered them), the group turned out a record that replicated all the strengths of the original, but was a little tighter and a little more professional. It also revealed that the band, under the direction of songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, was developing a truly original voice. Of course, the band had already developed their own musical voice, but it was enhanced considerably by Van Zant's writing, which was at turns plainly poetic, surprisingly clever, and always revealing. Though Second Helping isn't as hard a rock record as Pronounced, it's the songs that make the record…