DRIVE BY TRUCKERS

THE BIG TO DO

2010-04-13

The Drive By Truckers marry big rock hooks with dark and often twisted chronicles of modern life that hit hard with sharp attention to detail and big doses of everyday truth. "The Wig He Made Her Wear" is a true life tale of a preacher’s wife who made the SOB pay for making her dress like a cheap hooker while "Birthday Boy" is a hooker’s lament about a promising life gone bad. "Drag the Lake Charlie" is a rollicking tale of a feckless duo hoping to escape the wrath of a friend’s honked off spouse. "Daddy Learned to Fly" is a heartfelt reflection on the loss of a father. The sense of despair of that song creeps into the wistful homage to the tragic death of famous circus troop, "The Flying Wallendas". Despair of another sort finds its way into the mix on "After the Scene Dies" where the death of a music club to make way for the pre-fab world of chain stores is chronicled with riffs that would make Neil Young proud. "This Fucking Job" hits hard with its slamming guitar riffs and ranting lyrics about getting trapped into a dead end routine. Of course, the only thing worse than a bad job is having no job at all and having to face the spite of a resentful mate as happens on "Get Downtown". While Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley handle most of the vocal duties, Shonna Tucker steps up on the majestic, almost symphonic "You Got Another" and on the 50’s style girl group rocker, "(It’s Gonna Be) I Told You So". From beginning to end, these are tunes that stick. Smitty