Atlanta Rhythm Section

Atlanta Rhythm Section, sometimes abbreviated ARS, is an American southern rock band, formed in Doraville, Georgia, a small town northeast of Atlanta, in 1970. Here is their fourth and fifth albums, remastered and reissued on CD in 2005.

The Atlanta Rhythm Section swings, and that makes them prime contenders to join Lynyrd Skynyrd in filling the Southern rock void left by the Allman Brothers' painful dissolution. Unlike any of the competition, including Skynyrd, the Rhythm Section has developed a subtle synthesis that uses a pop sensibility where other bands plug in country influences. There's little doubt that with proper luck the Atlanta Rhythm Section could become the biggest hitmakers of any Southern band.

Atlanta Rhythm Section, sometimes abbreviated ARS, is an American southern rock band, formed in Doraville, Georgia, a small town northeast of Atlanta, in 1970. Here is their third and sixth albums, remastered and reissued on CD in 2004.

Often described as a more radio-friendly version of Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was one of many Southern rock bands to hit the upper reaches of the charts during the late '70s. "With All Due Respect" is their new CD and it may not be brand new material, from the ARS, but its still a great album, especially for "Classic Southern Rock" fans.

The 10 songs on this album, including 8 written by Buddy Buie in conjunction with other band members, show ARS to have become both tighter in their playing and more polished in their song presentation. The band's pop oriented songwriting and diverse musical stylings-characteristics that would distinguish them from the rest of Southern Rock-are displayed to great effect and show a band coming into their own. The album opens with Doraville, their first regional hit that's a rocking tribute to the town where Studio One was located. Blues In Maude's Flat is an instrumental that shows off the group's musical skills to fine effect. The song Angel (What in the World's Come Over Us) showcases the band's ability to mix tempos and styles in a longer piece with outstanding musicianship.

Dog Days was ARS first masterpiece and an album that still stands with their best. It showcases a band that has found its groove and is taking its music to a new level. Featuring another fine collection of songs about themselves and the South, the band displays a growing array of musical styles and approaches that are very different from where the rest of Southern Rock was headed. Overall, it's a faster paced album that what had come before, featuring six uptempo songs and two beautiful ballads-all originals.

Released in 1979, this is another excellent album that continued ARS' popular success and documents the band continuing to make quality music-even though the critical and popular tide that had swelled through the late 1970s had reached its peak. The album features eight original songs, one of them incorporating a well known Ashford & Simpson song. The tone of this collection is softer, as only a couple of songs truly rock out, but the songwriting and musicianship continues at the superior levels the group had established previously. While two songs would break out as singles, overall it's another superior set of tunes.