2008 Woodie Awards
Drive-By Truckers lack original sound, sluggish on newest album
Kyle Thacker
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: Entertainment
02/20/08 - Country and Southern rock ballads have a long tradition of telling the woeful tales of good, hard working, salt-of-the-earth-type people. Drive-By Truckers latest album, Brighter Than Creation's Dark is full of these stories.
Told through languid guitars and slow moving melodies the album is, at most points, sluggish and uninspired. The record has an air of familiarity as if these songs were rehashed versions of textbook country-rock ballads. There is the atmospheric use of the slide guitar, standard blues riffs, as well as the restricted range of the gruff male vocals paired with a smooth and soaring female vocalist.
The album is built around the lyrics of the band's multiple singers, but even the lyrics on this album seem to fall short of their intended heights. On the song, "Self-Destructive Zone," the lone female of the group, Shonna Tucker, sings faux-poetic lines like "Love you like the Dickens / miss you like the Devil" and "Jesus walked on water, where'd he get those shoes / It's just getting harder to lose these walking blues."
These all seem to be sentiments that have been sung about before and DBT offers no new perspective on the issues at hand.
There are points on the album that the band picks up the pace somewhat and offers more of a rock edge to the country tinge, as in the song "Bob." But even during the points where the music is more enthralling, the songs seem to flesh out in a fashion that is somewhat predictable and standard.
There isn't much variation in terms of song structure or chord progression. The songs would definitely be considered straight-up rock 'n' roll, which has its merit, but this album seems to be lacking something. Whether the album is lacking originality or spontaneity, the band's aim has not been achieved.
The album isn't all mediocre though. There are definitely some songs worth checking out. "Opening Act," sung by Patterson Hood, is a meandering tale of - you guessed it- a musician performing as the opening act at a concert.
"The Righteous Path" is also a notable track on the record. It has a bluesy vibe, with somewhat of a jam element to it. The song seems a little more loose and less constrained by convention than a lot of the other songs on the album, and I think this is why it is able to rise above most of the other songs on the record.
The record is a long one. Brighter Than Creation's Dark has 19 tracks and runs about 75 minutes long. About half of the songs run upwards of five minutes, which adds to the sluggish nature of the CD.
Overall, the album seemed to be lacking a real drive. However, if you enjoy country and blues-oriented rock you may find yourself enjoying this collection of ballads. If you're looking for an album with a little more kick in the rock department though, this might not be for you.
Told through languid guitars and slow moving melodies the album is, at most points, sluggish and uninspired. The record has an air of familiarity as if these songs were rehashed versions of textbook country-rock ballads. There is the atmospheric use of the slide guitar, standard blues riffs, as well as the restricted range of the gruff male vocals paired with a smooth and soaring female vocalist.
The album is built around the lyrics of the band's multiple singers, but even the lyrics on this album seem to fall short of their intended heights. On the song, "Self-Destructive Zone," the lone female of the group, Shonna Tucker, sings faux-poetic lines like "Love you like the Dickens / miss you like the Devil" and "Jesus walked on water, where'd he get those shoes / It's just getting harder to lose these walking blues."
These all seem to be sentiments that have been sung about before and DBT offers no new perspective on the issues at hand.
There are points on the album that the band picks up the pace somewhat and offers more of a rock edge to the country tinge, as in the song "Bob." But even during the points where the music is more enthralling, the songs seem to flesh out in a fashion that is somewhat predictable and standard.
There isn't much variation in terms of song structure or chord progression. The songs would definitely be considered straight-up rock 'n' roll, which has its merit, but this album seems to be lacking something. Whether the album is lacking originality or spontaneity, the band's aim has not been achieved.
The album isn't all mediocre though. There are definitely some songs worth checking out. "Opening Act," sung by Patterson Hood, is a meandering tale of - you guessed it- a musician performing as the opening act at a concert.
"The Righteous Path" is also a notable track on the record. It has a bluesy vibe, with somewhat of a jam element to it. The song seems a little more loose and less constrained by convention than a lot of the other songs on the album, and I think this is why it is able to rise above most of the other songs on the record.
The record is a long one. Brighter Than Creation's Dark has 19 tracks and runs about 75 minutes long. About half of the songs run upwards of five minutes, which adds to the sluggish nature of the CD.
Overall, the album seemed to be lacking a real drive. However, if you enjoy country and blues-oriented rock you may find yourself enjoying this collection of ballads. If you're looking for an album with a little more kick in the rock department though, this might not be for you.