Categories : Country + Western, Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4 / 5 Reviewer: Greg Hutton |
The latest effort from Drive By Truckers continues their ongoing mission to create alt-Southern rock that confronts the frequently perpetuated caricature of the culturally and politically backwards Southerner. The stories told on the album’s 13 tracks feel like they could be snippets of conversation overheard in a small-town bar, and cover several expected hallmarks of Southern music – drinking, disillusionment with working life, divorce, etc. Multiple singers appear on the album, adding to the general feeling of overhearing the chatter in a saloon and elucidating the complexities of small town drama.
In typical Truckers’ fashion, their ability to tell a convincing, engrossing story rises to the fore; tales of a small-town girl with big dreams who ends up a hooker on ‘Birthday Boy’ and custody battles and amber alerts of ‘The Wig He Made Her Wear’ are dark, compelling, and heartbreaking. Similarly, upon first reading the title of ‘This Fucking Job’ one might expect a call-to-arms middle-finger anti-establishment anthem; instead, the lyrics reflect careful introspection about the devastating realities of a fast-food wage existence. Well-rounded characters, conversations, and plot-lines abound, throughout the album; no easy feat for three-to-five minute rock songs.
