50 years of rockin’ and rollin’ is quite the milestone, especially when it’s uninterrupted. Unlike too many of their peers who gave up when the chips were down, southern AOR staples and Skynyrd’s kid brother, 38 Special, have soldiered on through the good times (multi-platinum albums, sold out arenas, MTV hits) and the bad (low budget album deals, minimal FM radio support, co-headlining alongside casino buffets). Though the better part of the latter half of their half century run has largely consisted of playing county fairs and those aforementioned casinos, they’ve always maintained a tried and true fanbase, eager to crack open a cold one and let their hair down to the hits of their youth.
In this regard, one might argue 38 Special to be a band banking on nostalgia, and can you blame them? They’re an act who, perhaps more than any other act I’ve covered on this webzine of late, boast a demographic of fans who aren’t interested in hearing anything more than the hits: “Hold On Loosely”, “Caught Up in You”, “Rockin’ into the Night”, “Fantasy Girl”, repeat. Of course, there are more, but you get the idea. So it makes sense that the band took their sweet time to put together a new studio effort, 21 years to be exact, the end result being their 13th and latest album, Milestone.
When it comes to an act of this nature, the next question that follows is usually, “Who’s left in the band?” And like many of the classic rock era, 38 Special circa 2025 boast only one classic member to their name, that being founding frontman Don Barnes. He is joined on this album by longtime keyboardist Bobby Capps and drummer Gary Moffatt, as well as one time Yngwie Malmsteen bassist, Barry Dunaway, and guitarist Jerry Riggs of “Radar Rider” infamy. Together, 38 Special Mk. “Who knows what number?” have put together an album that, at it’s best, channels the lighthearted rockin’ of their prime, and at worst feels pedestrian and forgettable.
Let’s start with the highlights, shall we? Cuts like “So Much So Right”, “The Main Thing”, and “Looking for My Life” boast all the trademarks one would expect from 38 Special: Anthemic riffs that are hard, but not TOO hard, AOR-driven hooks, the downhome vocals of Barnes. You get the idea. They’re simple, straightforward classic rock tunes meant to invoke nostalgic joy, and they largely do so. Unfortunately, this emotion is dashed by an unnecessary bevy of ballads that sound less wave-your-lighter arena rock and more Morgan Wallen inspired bro country (i.e. “All I Haven’t Said”, “Long Long Train”, “Windows of Memories”, etc.) I understand that these old timers want to keep up with the times, but 9 times out of 10, these modern forays never end well, and this is another example of such.
Worse yet is the aptly titled “Slightly Controversial”, in which 38 Special teams up with world renowned wine mom rockers, Train. Are you kidding me? Train?! In an age where there’s no shortage of bright, rising southern rock stars (i.e. The Georgia Thunderbolts, Whiskey Myers, etc.), a collaboration with Train, of all bands, seems largely oblivious, which is a good descriptor for this album. Milestone‘s best moments are a fitting celebration of 50 years of Floridian rock, but as a whole, falls short and is far from a milestone of an album.
5 out of 10
Label: Frontiers Records
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Outlaws, REO Speedwagon, Survivor