Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
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Free Music Notes for Brighter Than Creation's Dark
Free Music Review: Return to form
Hit: 5 Stars
After (at least by their standards) a somewhat uneven album in Blessing and Curse, this album is absolutely outstanding. I actually think they are improved with Isbell out of the picture. As good as Isbell's earlier contributions were (Decoration Day, Outfit, Goddam Lonely Love, etc....) he has lately favored too much sheen and structure in his songs (Daylight, Dress Blues, etc...). I was at first turned off by having Shonna sing her own songs, but they actually fit in nicely. If there is a negative, I think shaving off a couple of songs would have made this an all-time classic. For example, Cooley has a couple country tunes that sound somewhat tossed off in Bob and Lisa's Birthday that could have left behind. They aren't bad songs, but given the strength of his other songs and the rest of the album, they are somewhat of a let down and I think are somewhat out of place.
Overall, though, this album is possibly the best they have ever done. At the very least, it is the best since Decoration Day, and in my opinion even better.
Free Music Review: An Absolute Classic
Hit: 5 Stars
Ever since their critical breakout Southern Rock Opera The mainstream press has always wanted to compare The Drive By Truckers with Lynyrd Skynyrd. I suppose some of this is the band's fault, by making a song cycle out of Skynyrd the comparisons were inevitable. The thing is the band that I've always thought they should be compared with (if being compared at all) is The Replacements, albeit with two exceptions. The first being southern accents and the southern lore behind them, and the second being the fact that DBT has always had multiple songwriters pulling the whole thing together. It all starts with Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley though despite some fantastic songs by former guitarist Jason Isbell over his three album run and now, on Brighter Than Creation's Dark, three excellent songs by his ex-wife, bassist Shonna Tucker. Cooley has always been less prolific than Hood, until now. On BTCD Cooley contributes 7 stellar tracks ranging from the straight up country of "Lisa's Birthday" to the rocking Exile on Main Street inspired "Three Dimes Down". HIs finest contribution to this album, however, might be "Perfect Timing" about a man coming to terms with himself. The line "I used to hate the fool in me but only in the morning now I tolerate him all day long" is absolutely brilliant but will probably have it's greatest impact on those of us who saw the age of 30 a long time ago. Hood mines similar territory here with his excellent "The Righteous Path" but takes a less philosophical and more everyman approach.
The real strength of BTCD is it's musical diversity. It can go from hauntingly beautiful and sad, "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" to whimiscal and profound in "Bob" and then go ahead and rock out with Tucker's "Homfield Advantage" and the previously mentioned "Three Dimes Down" and "The Righteous Path". 19 songs is a heck of alot for one album but this one wouldn't be as good if even one track were removed. As I mentioned Shonna Tucker is a revelation on this album, both for her own excellent three songs and the delightful harmonies she provides on Hood's tracks. I'd also be remiss if I didn't point out the contributions form always steady drummer Brad "EZB" Morgan, Guitarist/Pedal Steel player John Neff, and the legenday Muscle Shoals organist Spooner Oldham. Neff's picking is subtle when it needs to be and upfront when that's required more than making up for the loss of Jason Isbell. Oldham's organ lines are nothing short of magic giving DBT an entirely new element to the soundscape (although he did also appear on "When the Pin Hits the Shell").
In the end all you need to know is that this album is an instant classic, possibly the best ever by an already stellar band. If you liked them before it's nearly a foregone coonclusion that you'll like this record. If you're new to DBT pick it up, you just might like what you hear.
Free Music Review: a fantastic album!
Hit: 5 Stars
As other reviewers have mentioned, this album is a great listen from start to end, with little exception. A vast improvement over "A Blessing and a Curse" which was spotty, at best, in my opinion. I too was afraid of what would happen with this release after the loss of Jason Isbell, but they have come back strong. Its a wonderful showcase of both Patterson and Cooley, and also refreshing to hear Shonna exhibited. The woman has a powerful voice, and while the lyrics in her three songs aren't necessarily profound and the songs a bit twangy for me, she delivers a performance filled with heart and soul. She has demonstrated her ability to share the lead both writing and performing. I greatly look forward to seeing her perform these live!
I was a bit surprised by the plunge into country taken by Cooley on the album. I don't care for country music generally, but it definitely works for him! His songs "3 Dimes Down," Self Destructive Zones," Checkout Time in Vegas," and "A Ghost to Most," are among my favorite on the album, along with Patterson's tear-jerker "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" about the Harvey family murdered in their home on New Year's Day 2006. If you really can't tolerate country-rock I could see how large portions of this album may not be for you...
Free Music Review: Man!
Hit: 5 Stars
Came to DBT's somewhat late in the game (first show was on The Dirty South tour) and, like a lot of folks, was pretty amazed by the SRO-Decoration Day-Dirty South run. Blessing was short, not cohesive, and just kind of seemed thrown together - although it was still a whole lot better than most music put out that year. But the album gave me the feeling that Jason was saving his best songs for his solo album.
Brighter, however, is a surprisingly wonderful return to the quality we've come to expect from the Truckers. More mellow than the last few? Yes, but Neff's pedal steel is mesmerizing and Shonna's 3 contributions are damn good. And Patterson and Cooley are in true form, squashing any fears that Jason's departure would leave a big hole.
No filler in this batch. Every tune stands on its own against the best the Truckers have ever put out.
Free Music Review: Album of the Year
Hit: 5 Stars
This album is definitely not boring. It is the most diverse and exciting Truckers record ever. You are not going to find better songwriting than on this album. Favorites are Righteous Path, Ghost to Most, Checkout time in Vegas, I'm Sorry Huston and Goode's. This is my fav Truckers record of all time. Sure to be album of the year in many end of year polls. I hope this propels the band to the stature they truly deserve. Best American Band.