Czwartek 18 Mar 2010, 13:48

Drive-By Truckers: The Big To-Do

Been listening to DBT's new album non-stop for 2 days now, and I still haven't quite got a handle on it. I like it better now than I did on first listen, but i still think it is one of the band's weaker efforts. Of course, DBT has set the bar so impossibly high that it is hard to measure up every time out. I think my biggest complaint about the album is this: too much Hood, not enough Cooley. Brighter Than Creation's Dark was so great because it contained about 9 Mike Cooley songs, balanced out by 5 or 6 great Patterson Hood songs. Add a little spice from Shonna Tucker, and the whole pot of stew was amazing. I think too much Hood just gets a little boring to me, especially since this batch of songs is not among Patterson's best. OK, "The Fourth Night Of My Drinking" and "Drag The Lake, Charlie" are outstanding, and "The Flying Wallendas" is very good, but the rest of the songs are not up to his usual standards.

Don't get me wrong; I don't hate this album. On the contrary, it is a very good album which I will get a lot of listens and a lot of enjoyment from. It's just that I've been spoiled. I have come to expect instant classics from DBT every time out, and this one is just not in the same class as Decoration Day, Southern Rock Opera, The Dirty South or Brighter Than Creation's Dark.