Blackberry Smoke conjure up the ghost of Little Feat on new Hey Delilah single

(Image credit: Jo Lopez)

Atlanta's Blackberry Smoke have released a second single from their upcoming seventh studio album, You Hear Georgia. Hey Delilah follows in the footsteps of the album's title track, which was released last month.

"It's a good old scary Bible story with a New Orleans groove," says band frontman Charlie Starr. "Delilah has a cellphone now, though."

Hey Delilah is a loose-limbed slice of low-slung swamp rock, featuring the kind of comfortable groove that was part of the Little Feat sound, while the video cuts from the band performing the song live in the studio to the first episode of NBC's documentary series Real People, broadcast in February 1979 and featuring trucker Lesa "Yo Yo" Worley.

You Hear Georgia was recorded in Nashville with producer Dave Cobb, best known for his work with artists like Rival Sons, Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbel, and features contributions from touring band members Benji Shanks (additional guitars) and Preston Holcomb (percussion).

The album also features a guest appearance from country star Jamey Johnson, who previously appeared with the band on Yesterday's Wine, a track that originally appeared the 2010 reissue of the band's second album, A Little Piece Of Dixie. Johnson appears on Lonesome For A Livin’, while Government Mule star Warren Haynes joins the band for All Rise Again. Full tracklist below.

Background vocals come from The Black Bettys, who previously worked with the band on the live releases Homecoming - Live In Atlanta, Georgia (2019) and Live From Capricorn Sound Studios (2020).

You Hear Georgia is available to pre-order now, with bundles and limited edition vinyl available from Eyesore.

You Hear Georgia tracklist

1. Live It Down
2. You Hear Georgia
3. Hey Delilah
4. Ain’t The Same
5. Lonesome For A Livin’ (feat. Jamey Johnson)
6. All Rise Again (feat. Warren Haynes)
7. Old Enough To Know
8. Morningside
9. All Over The Road
10. Old Scarecrow

Blackberry Smoke - You Hear Georgia — (Image credit: Legged Records/Thirty Tigers)

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.