DRIVE BY TRUCKERS ~ Decoration Day New West Records

Following the critically acclaim of “Southern Rock Opera” was no easy step for the Birmingham, Alabama quintet. Doing for Southern Rock what REM did for ‘80s pop, the Drive By Truckers fuse infectious harmonies with loud bombastic hooks ready made for radio hits. Taking a dash of Neil Young, an over dose of Eagles and lessons learned from Lynyrd Skynyrd the band have put together an record that not only embraces lush melodies but stings with poignant efficiency. And is easily as good as what critics were calling their greatest achievement “Southern Rock Opera.”

Not attempting to recreate the vibe of SRO, the Truckers use the romance of country found in the lap steel or resonating hallow-body strains of “Sounds Better In Song” and “(Something’s Got to) Give Pretty Soon” while songs like the Skynyrd-fused “Marry Me” and “Your Daddy Hates Me” slips into a nostalgic Eagles-like wash (“Take It Easy” and “Teenage Jail” respectively). Lyrically the record spews out tragic southern tales that could be found in the headlines of the Birmingham News or the Jacksonville Times. “The Deeper In,” “Do It Yourself” and “Sink Hole” with it’s line “I’ve always been a religious man/But I met the banker and it felt like sin” reek with social observance and personal affection.

The rockers even carry an outlaw strut with them. “Hell No, I Ain’t Happy, ” and “Careless” bring out the best Johnny Cash meets Merle Haggard in the band. But it is the pain heard throughout the records fifteen tracks that make “Decoration Day” such an achievement. The confessional “My Sweet Annette, ” the homespun yarn of “Outfit” and revealing “Heathens” are all the more moving narrated in first person, a craft the Truckers have perfected and use abundantly. Back to back the band have succeed where many have failed. What will next year bring?

Website: Drive By Truckers or New West Records

Review by Todd Smith http://www.thecutting-edge.net/