The Marshall Tucker Band had a wider palette of musical influences than any other Southern rockers. The eternally high-spirited Wet Willie (of "Keep On Smilin'" fame) mixed r&b, gospel and pop into their rock and roll stew. Even the granddaddies of the genre, The Allman Brothers Band, forged their style from the three distinct, albeit open-ended, sources: English hard rock ala The Jeff Beck Group, blues from Muddy Waters et, al, and the pure openness of free-jazz ordained by John Coltrane.

MTB, however, had a sure grip on rock, blues, gospel, bluegrass and mainstream jazz(including swing and big band). As demonstrated on their very first album the group was able to write credible material in each of those genres (or mix it up convincingly)as well as play as if each was their forte. The versatility becomes even more evident on their comparatively understated follow-up A New Life and there the band's studio artistry takes full flower with the exhilarating likes of "Another Cruel Love." The remastering of the Marshall Tucker catalog, the release of a hot time left in the vaults as well as a new studio effort form the current lineup provides additional insight into the workings of the group.

Persevering through multiple tragedies like their Dixie rock brethren ABB and Skynyrd(titular leader Toy Caldwell died of heart problems a few years after MTB's disbandment in the earliy 80's), The Marshall Tucker Band exists today, fronted by sole original member, vocalist Doug Gray. This ensemble has actually recorded and released a brand-new album of studio work titled Beyond the Horizon (Shout! Factory/Ramblin' Records, like all the discs reviewed herein), It's an admirable piece of work on its own terms, but a far cry from the fluid inspiration of the original band. Of course like any band of musical brothers, the lineup needs time to coalesce but for now, even on the more successful cuts like the title song, the tracks seem pieced together, like the personnel itself, as if to consciously emulate the MTB 'sound.' right down to the instrumental array. Gray himself should be proud of his loyalty to the band and its following, yet even he seems to be overreaching as a singer on many selections, trying to be more convincing than he really needs to.

His intentions are admirable though, and totally understandable when you listen to the original MTB albums. To capitalize on the jamband scene, each is stickered with the phrase "a band that jams" and for once the marketing ploy is accurate since Marshall Tucker brought intensity to the stage that rivaled the Allmans in depth if not expanse. Hear the way the band digs into the groove of "Take the Highway" from the first album and you know you're hearing musicians without fear. "Can't You See" is modern blues par excellence. The title song of the second album has a feather-light touch, but the band still cooks: the lead guitar of Toy Caldwell, who wrote the bulk of the band's originals, plays with a ringing, stinging ferocity (even his pedal steel-playing has a knife-sharp edge corresponding to the tart flavor of the country material he wrote), offset by the nimble drumming of Paul Riddle and prodded endlessly by the staunch bass guitar movement of his brother Tommy Caldwell(tragically killed in an auto accident in 1980, a few years before heart disease took his brother early). Leavened by the sax and flute of Jerry Eubanks---adding texture in places you wouldn't expect to hear it--- with sparks thrown by the flinty rhythm guitar from George McCorkle(who came to write the band's first 'hit' "Fire on the Mountain"), this chemistry was unmistakable to the audiences they played for, which makes it such a mystery MTB never released a live album in their lifetime. The Marshall Tucker Band
Beyond the Horizon
Shout!Factory
2003