Duane Betts Recalls Halycon Days of Mountain Jams & Revivals On Resounding’Wild & Precious Life’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Duane Betts’ first full-length solo album, Wild & Precious Life, is a direct extension of his work in the Allman-Betts Band in 2019 and 2020 (and superior to those efforts too). In his role as executive producer, it was no doubt he who enlisted linchpins of that group– including guitarist Johnny Stachela, bassist Berry Duane Oakley, keyboardist John Ginty–plus drummer Tyler Greenwell (TTB, Wood Brothers); these four form the core of accompanists working in Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks’ Swamp Raga Studio in Jacksonville, Florida.

Not surprisingly then, this Royal Potato Family release is hardly the tentative work that comprises the 2018 EP Sketches Of American Music. And in forging close-knit liaisons with those who participate (co-producing with Ginty and Stachela), the offspring of legendary guitarist/composer Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band doesn’t display one iota of self-consciousness based on his lineage. On the contrary, there’s an unmistakable sense of liberation in his singing and playing.

Utilizing a set of original songs like the instrumental “Under the Bali Moon” (one of the few without lyrics from the erudite Stoll Vaughan), Duane builds on the confidence he developed as a touring member of his father’s Great Southern band as well as road work with Dawes. Featuring a combination of slide guitar and piano that may sound familiar at first, the cut ultimately comes across fresh thanks to some readily-discernible bravado all around: the entire complement of musicians is fully engaged with material Betts composed in a variety of partnerships.

As courageous as that artistic move, it’s no small compliment considering the company Betts kept over and above the staunch presence of the core band. Yet the presence of guests such as vocalist Nicki Bluhm (“Colors Fade”), plus guitarists Marcus King (“Cold Dark World”) and Derek Trucks (“Stare at the Sun”), would all be for naught if not for the sharp shared instincts of the foundational unit. 

The latter’s long-time technical comrade, Bobby Tis, captured all this action via his engineering of the recordings, while Jim Scott mixed, the resonance of the audio further validating his history as a seven-time Grammy winner. Evidenced by the brave touch of John Reid’s trumpet on “Evergreen,” everyone involved contributes to creating that rarity in studio work where the creation of the music takes precedence over personality.

To that end, and not surprisingly, mournful pedal steel from Matt Smith surrounds Betts as sings the patently autobiographical “Waiting On A Song” with fervent emotion. The depth of expression that belies a somewhat weak voice (more than a little comparable to his father’s), but the frontman’s quiet rendering of “Circles In The Stars” makes for an ideal album closer to the blend of softly-strummed acoustic guitar and dignified piano from Ginty supports the singing.

Similarly, Betts’ guitar work is bright, slightly sweet, and uncluttered despite the fillips he often applies to the figures he plays. And he has the perfect foil in Stachela, whose patient and precise slide playing complements Betts’ own fretboard work: the tandem guitar harmonies on “Saints To Sinners” sounds like a natural outgrowth of the song and its arrangement, not a contrived add-on. The respective soft touches from Oakley Jr. and Greenwell further elevate that track in such a way it realistically recalls the Duane and Dickey partnership within those halcyon days of the ABB.

It’s quite the irony that, in the end, Wild & Precious Life reminds us what a daunting task it is to honorably follow in the footsteps of a bonafide legend of American music. But in engaging such a potent creative synergy on all ten tracks–plus taking such a proprietary approach to the very packaging itself (with its captivating painting by Pierre Rochard and an enclosed fold-out poster with all lyrics)–Duane Betts is taking audacious steps in his aspirations to that legacy.