The Marshall Tucker Band - Still Holdin' On (1988)

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"Still Holdin' On" was the first album by The Marshall Tucker Band after the break up of the original band. Which means Doug Gray and Jerry Eubanks were the creative force at this stage. Or were they? This album turned out to be a rather average Country Rock affair, with all songs written by outsiders to the band. All very clever, some actually quite good, but not what you'd expect or want from The Marshall Tucker Band. And obviously especially Toy Caldwell is sorely missed here. Toy would release his 1992 debut album, which is much closer to what I was looking for. The Marshall Tucker Band, however, would more than make up for this unremarkable album on its follow up, the excellent "Southern Spirit".
What we have here is an adequate, inoffensive record aimed at the Country market. The band featured lots of crack session players, so the picking is all good. It's one of their lesser known albums, and not without reason. But Doug Gray is still a real fine singer, and for that alone worth the price of admission (yeah, yeah...). This record has been discontinued by its manufacturer. So maybe, once you get the feel of it...