Easy Livin'

Recorded in Houma, La., with longtime bluesman Tab Benoit, Easy Livin' is the debut for a versatile New Orleans–influenced blues-rock jam band that does far more with the same ol' configurations than might be expected. But the young men leading this group—slide guitarist Damon Fowler, J.P. Soars (winner of the Albert King Award for best guitarist), and keyboardist Victor Wainwright—are at the top of their field, and that's evident in the fluid playing and rhythms that never falter. Whether it's the atmospheric "Southern Livin'," Fowler's updated old-school blues lament "Kind Lies & Whiskey," or Soars' teasing western swing "Mile After Mile," Southern Hospitality plays it like the most confident blues band ever to visit a honky-tonk on the edge of town. Wainright's "Certified Lover" brings in his Memphis roots with a slow, organ-based Otis Redding–type ballad, while his "Shoestring Budget" ramps up the pace and the party. With three key weapons leading the band, they're already all-stars in the roots-rock field.