Blackberry Smoke – “Good One Comin’ On”

If Shooter Jennings ever needs a body double for any upcoming music videos, he could always call on the members of Blackberry Smoke. Along with a shared aesthetic of aviators, long, unkempt hair and seventies concert T-shirts, they also have a hard-line blend of country and Southern rock in common.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Atlanta-based band has already shared the stage with Jennings, Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top and Cross Canadian Ragweed, or that its song “Good One Comin’ On” would sound right at home in any of those veterans’ catalogs. Instead, it’s the first single off Blackberry Smoke’s upcoming full-length sophomore effort Little Piece of Dixie, not to be confused with its independently released EP of the same title that also carried “Good One Comin’ On.”

The group channels enough of its effortless elbow-rubbing-with-Skynyrd energy into the tune to make its interesting opening phrasing accessibly cool. It’s a shame this wasn’t release at the beginning of the summer, as it has all the makings of a revved up, Chesney-esque summer soundtrack: “Two six-packs of shiner/A ninety-nine cent butane lighter/Lucky Strikes an’ a fifth of Patron/Ice down that Igloo cooler/A tank of gas, that oughta do her/Feels like a good one comin’ on.”

If the song sounds familiar, it may be because it appeared on the soundtrack of the 2008 Kevin Costner film “Swing Vote,” as well as Trent Willmon’s 2006 album A Little More Livin’. However, that feeling of déjà vu is most likely because this type of song has been done many a time, most recently by Craig Morgan on “Bonfire” and in the Eli Young Band’s “Always the Love Songs.” In the hands of brothers Richard and Brit Turner, Paul Jackson and Charlie Starr, though, the details in this tune’s lyrics make “Good One Comin’ On” a standout.

Artists like Kid Rock and Jason Aldean (to whom rocker Bryan Adams infamously told “You guys are a full-on rock band. There’s nothing country about what’s going on onstage. The only thing country is maybe the song titles: “Johnny Cash,” “She’s Country.”)* have carved out a niche for hard-rocking songs on mainstream country radio, and “Good One Comin’ On” makes a strong case for Blackberry Smoke to join those ranks.

Listen: Blackberry Smoke – “Good One Comin’ On”