I'm No Angel was such a success that
Gregg Allman wasted no time delivering its follow-up, 1988's
Just Before the Bullets Fly. Essentially, the album is
I'm No Angel, Pt. 2, with the same glossy mixes and straight-ahead rock & roll. This isn't a bad thing, in theory, and the execution is solid. It's just that the songs aren't there. There are a couple of moments that work -- namely, the opening punch of "Demons" and "Before the Bullets Fly" -- but most of the tunes aren't terribly memorable, and the ultra-slick production doesn't help matters. Given this tepid effort, it's little wonder that it took
Allman nearly ten years to deliver a sequel. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine