Antry - Devil Don't Care (2017)

When I first looked at the cover for Antry’s new album, I saw the grizzled visage of Steve Antry looking back at me with the defiant look of an old-time preacher getting ready to wrestle the devil to the ground. That’s appropriate for an album called, Devil Don’t Care, that mixes some beautiful gospel and country flavors in with some very cool blues rock.
Atry has assembled a great group of musicians for his latest effort, including himself on vocals and electric guitar along with Greg Morrow on drums; Michael Rhodes on bass; Rob McNelley, Pat Buchanan, and Brent Mason on electric guitar; Dan Dugmore and Danny Rader on acoustic guitar; Dugmore also plays lap steel guitar; David Smith and Mike Rojas on piano, B3, and keys; Buchanan on harp; and Eric Darkken and Peter Carson on percussion.
Special guests include Shaun Murphy on backing vocals for three songs; Anthony Gomes on guitar for one song; and perhaps the youngest person to ever get a credit mention on an album release, Finn Anderson’s baby laugh appears on one song. And yes, his parents Joe and Liz gave their permission!
The opening number is the title track. Devil Don’t Care delivers a strong hard driving blues rock number with some clever lyrics. It promises that this album is going to be a fun time for blues fans. As Antry uses a number of guitarists, I’m not exactly sure if it’s him or another player who is adding those cool riffs in the song.
There may be some people who are not attracted to the spiritual nature of Antry, but please give this one a listen. Steve Atry has a strong voice and has put together some great musicians on Devil Don’t Care. Much of the blues has been built on a gospel foundation – it’s the music of people who have no place else to turn.