Drive By Truckers
January 1st, 2007 . by Roxor 
I am not sure how this never got posted on TDB, but I guess better late then never…
The Dirty South finds Drive-By Truckers maturing into one of the most capable southern rock bands workin it today. While some of the fun of Hood and Cooley songs like Too Much Sex - Too Little Jesus has been replaced by the gritty realism of Puttin’ People on the Moon, it’s all good - DBT are now much more Steve Earl and much less Mojo Nixon. More grown up than their break out offering “Southern Rock Opera” and more consistent then Decoration Day The Dirty South seems to be a synthesis of both prove neither were flukes.
Even though it features 3 guitar players songwriting is what this CD is all about. More than songwriters Hood and Cooley are storytellers - and very good ones at that.. If you have ever lived in the southern side of tornado alley the imagery of Tornadoes will seem instantly familiar while Never Gonna Change celebrates the limitations of continuing to live the life you’ve been dealt come hell or high water.
Seemingly simple songs like Carl Perkins Cadillac stay away from the cliches that would be easy enough when writing songs about Sun Records in favor of lines like: “Damnit Elvis I swear son I think it’s time you came around, makin money you can spent is not what being dead is all about.” Jason Isbell’s Danko/Maunuel is a minor masterpiece a tribute to similar souls ( The Band’s Rick Danko and Richard Manuel ) a generation earlier, that drips with sweet melancholy and seems to examine if Isbell really wants to become like his heroes.
This CD features a nice range the greasy slide of Where the Devil Don’t Stay to the ballad blues of Cottonseed and the Neil Youngish Buford Stick. In fact, even with the irony about Neil Young/Southern Man/Sweet Home Alabama this CD reminds of of the best of what Crazyhorse was about in it’s prime - balls out rock-n-roll without sacrificing great songwriting and dynamics.
Over all one of the best CD’s of the year. And if you look at The Dirty South as part of a sort trilogy with their two previous releases you could make the argument that Drive-By Truckers are putting out the strongest Rock north or south of the Mason-Dixon.