Entertainment
Dirty Side Down
Widespread Panic | ATO RecordsAs it was with The Dead and Phish, albums are kind of beside the point for Widespread Panic fans (heading up their 25th year on the road together). However, the 11th studio effort from these Athens, GA-based road warriors is worth a spin. While there are hints of the band’s classic dirty-blues-meets-Southern-rock jams — especially on “Shut Up and Drive” and “True To My Nature” — sometimes Dirty Side Down feels like a hippie attempt at adult contemporary. The power ballad-y openers “Saint Ex” and “North” might strike diehards as cheesy, but perhaps John Bell and co. have finally grown up a bit.