Truckers On A Road Less Taken

A Blessing And A Curse
Drive-By Truckers
(New West)

It's entirely possible that the title of Drive-By Truckers' latest CD, "A Blessing and a Curse," could sum up the band's current outlook: Acclaim is nice, but it comes at a price. In their case, oodles of exposure for their past three releases – "Southern Rock Opera," "Decoration Day" and "The Dirty South" – meant getting pigeonholed to a degree as a "Southern Rock" band. There's nothing wrong with that, per se. It's just that it doesn't do the Truckers justice, and it never did. So it's perhaps with that in mind that the band let influences such as Faces, The Replacements and the Rolling Stones show a little more clearly. They seem to be saying "let the buyer beware," but with less of a drawl. Regardless, they're rocking with a vengeance on their most accessible album yet.

It's easy to see why the band draws the Lynyrd Skynyrd comparisons. They hail from well below the Mason-Dixon line (Athens, Ga.), sport a three-guitar lineup and in 2002 released "Southern Rock Opera," which was pretty much what the title implies: a two-act, two-disc concept album rooted in Southern upbringing and Skynyrd mythology. To call the Truckers "Southern Rock," though, sells them short. They have much more to offer. Those three guitarist/singers – Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell – are also first-rate songwriters. Such a lineup of composers in one band puts them in good company, with the Beatles, Byrds and Buffalo Springfields of the world. Given the quality of the writing, it's well worth looking into "A Blessing and a Curse" track by track:

"Feb. 14" – This track was first offered as a freebie on the band's Web site around Christmas, and it signaled that change was afoot. It opens "Blessing" and lets you know that this isn't the same old Drive-By Truckers disc. Written by Hood, it's a love song, but it describes anything but a happy Valentine's Day. On the other hand, you could picture The Replacements celebrating with this one and eating a Whitman's sampler ... shit-faced, broke and alone.

"Gravity's Gone" – In a recent conversation about this album with my buddy Derek, he pointed out Cooley's penchant for being "poetic, but crude." I can't think of a more eloquent way to describe his straightforward, warts-and-all writing style. Cooley wouldn't want me to be eloquent anyway. This country-rock cut echoes the album's title and reminds you to be careful what you wish for because it might come true. Rock-star decadence can seem less glamorous "between the champagne, hand jobs and the kissing ass by everyone involved." Sounds good on paper, right? So why does the guy singing this song sound so weary?

"Easy on Yourself" – Isbell, who joined the band a few years ago, is turning into its secret weapon and its most melodic writer. He began to really blossom on "Decoration Day" with the ballad "Outfit," which has turned into a fan favorite. He's also developed into an excellent slide guitarist. Isbell seems to have the most commercial instincts, too, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out on his forthcoming solo album. "Easy on Yourself" is good, old-fashioned radio rock, and it wouldn't be hard to imagine Tom Petty cranking it out. It's also worth mentioning that in just two albums together, bassist Shonna Tucker and drummer Brad Morgan have locked in tight to form a top-notch rhythm section.

"Aftermath USA" – This track is probably the best example of the Truckers letting some of their other influences step to the forefront. The riff is classic "Exile on Main St."-era Rolling Stones. It's so close, in fact, that the Stones could cover it and just about guarantee an ass-kicking return to radio play. This tune, written by the whole band and producer David Barbe, is much more than an early-'70s rehash, though. For one thing, drugs have gotten even more widespread since the Stones' heyday, and there's a cook on every corner. There's certainly no glamor in the picture painted here: "Crystal meth in the bathtub / Blood splattered in my sink / Laying around in the aftermath / it's all worse than you think."

"Goodbye" – An ode to a relationship and an opportunity whose time has passed. Isbell's electric piano and Cooley's guitar fills provide a Southern-soul feel, almost like they used to turn out at Muscle Shoals, where Hood's father, David, made his reputation as a noted session bassist.

"Daylight" – Another slice of reflective, melodic rock by Isbell made even prettier by a shimmering foundation of B-3 organ.

"Wednesday" – Of the Truckers' three main songwriters, Hood has the most cinematic style of storytelling. He's also got a unique way of turning phrases. One that sticks out here is "There was something in the pain that shot right through him / As he climbed up to the place he called his home / They say every man's house should be his palace / But his castle stank of cat shit and alone."

"Little Bonnie" – The deep twang of baritone guitar hints that this cut could have appeared on any of the band's past three albums. As it unfolds, and the heartbreaking narrative reveals the title character was a little girl who "never even made it four," you're convinced.

"Space City" – Cooley steps to the front again for this ballad, and takes on the persona of a tough-guy widower. Turns out he's kind of a softie at heart.

"A Blessing and a Curse" – The title track is the only one that exudes a real "Southern Rock" vibe, which mostly comes from the two guitars harmonizing on the riff. It sounded good for the Allman Brothers, and it sounds good now. Hood wrote the lyrics, which underscore the title's theme: "But there's more here than meets the eye / The real story is under the surface / We're all so in love with the artifice / We don't dare look too close."

"A World of Hurt" – On the closer, Hood turns to his oft-used technique of laying a mostly spoken-word recitation down over a slowly percolating groove. He employed it to great effect, meditating on the "duality of the Southern thang" in "The Three Great Alabama Icons" on "Southern Rock Opera." It's equally effective here. It also brings the album full circle by acknowledging the kind of pain love brings, such as the hurt laid bare in "Feb. 14," but providing hope that it can work out, too, if you can just learn to balance the hurt and the happiness. Hood leaves us with the reassurance at the end of the last verse that in fact "it's great to be alive."

Like all good writers, Drive-By Truckers tend to make a habit of writing what they know. In this case, it's the deep, fabled and still-unfolding history of the South. For at least one album, though, they've taken an important step in another direction. It's a detour that shows that they're a great rock band. Period. Further description isn't necessary.
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Next week: Speaking of departures ... Bruce Springsteen's take on songs made popular by folk singer Pete Seeger, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions."