Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark

DBT s brand new album is a Southern gothic rock n' roll masterpiece with 19 songs adding up to over 75 minutes of pure rock n roll. The band continues its notorious 3-guitar attack with the promotion of longtime sidekick John Neff to full member. Patterson Hood contributes 9 songs to the album (The Righteous Path, Daddy Needs A Drink), 7 songs from Mike Cooley (A Ghost To Most, Lisa's Birthday) and 3 songs from Shonna Tucker (The Purgatory Line). This it the first time Shonna has written the songs for a DBT album. All this is enhanced with musical contributions from he legendary Spooner Oldham.

As Patterson Hood says about the songs on the album, Stylistically, they run the gamut from old-timey sounding country to a heavy R&B influence. Some songs that are quieter than any we've ever recorded and some that rock harder than anything we've ever done. In the end it's still all Rock and Roll (which is why that will always be the description of choice to us when describing our music in stylistic terms).

Drive-By Truckers are one of the most unique recording artists and live bands in popular music today. The Truckers write about people, places and situations like no one else, and have build an amazing worldwide audience in the process. Product Description

Less Dark than previous efforts

When listening to the earlier "The Dirty South" I felt a sudden urge to become an alcoholic, beat up my boss, and get behind the wheel of a rusted early 70's Pontiac and find my way into a confrontation with local law enforcement. So these guys know how to have an effect with their music. For those who are looking to music help them escape their own problems vs. become wrapped up in the hard luck and troubles of the down and out trailer crowd, you're in luck (well, sort of). "Brighter than Creations Dark" is still full of characters and people either headed the wrong way or stuck there by forces beyond their control, but some of the desperation is gone and now they find some time for hanging in a bar rocking out to some adrenaline pumping tunes like "3 Dimes Down," "Home Field Advantage," and "Self Destructive Zones" (a great send-up of some of Rock's lamer fads). Sure "Daddy Needs a Drink" and "You and Your Crystal Meth" are nothing to listen to if you need a pick-me up, but you can throw on "Perfect Timing" for a little feel good sing-along. The guys who told the moonshiners' side of the story in "Bufford Stick" are still going strong, but they're willing to allow a little more daylight on the scene and this album has more genuine rockers than was typically the case in earlier efforts. Still, the DBT's songs generally aren't to be taken lightly and if you really listen to them you hear a band that knows how to play, but also has staked out the voice of the economically disadvantaged in a way that shows clearly how Springsteen and Mellencamp only postured -- these guys sound like they lived it. As far as being "Southern Rock" -- think Athens as much as Statesboro -- they have both that unique authenticity old Southern Rock was synonymous with as well as the willingness to experiment and move beyond the slide guitars and beards clichés. November 3, 2008

A heavyweight Gothic Americana classic

I have a couple of DBT previous efforts, and love them all and rate this up with all I have listened to, for the simple reason that the emotional resonance of the material is far ahead of, and more real than whats gone before. I'm sorry previous reviewers but just because you don't do P (Crystal Meth)and thats a good thing, isn't reason to not try and understand a corner of society and the message being conveyed. I wonder just how some people listen to music. Do you just switch off when you don't like the subject material? (Oh that doesn't suit my small town sensibilities, I will skip this track and give a bummer review)This music is challenging, dark and sometimes scary. Its not better or worse than previous efforts its of a time and a place both in terms of the band and of the environment being talked about. I'm looking forward to listening to Brighter than Creations Dark over the next couple of years and making sense of its many parts and enjoying the dark themes and storys.

A seriously good band. Not commercial but the producer of serious tales of the twisted American south. September 8, 2008

25 Cents Shy of a Slice of the Doublemint Twins

Let me start off by saying that I love the sh*t out of this band! They have never done a weak album. Sure, some are better than others, but fans tend to get spoiled after the likes of Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, the Dirty South and the fantastic Live at the 40 Watt DVD.

I've noticed a bit of rumbling in the ranks since the release of A Blessing and a Curse. Even Patterson Hood has had some misgivings about that album. But it still is quite a fine album when compared to the sad state of rock 'n' roll these days. As far as A Blessing and a Curse is concerned, the longer I owned it and played it, the more it grew on me. DBT albums tend to be that way.

Which brings us to the subject at hand, Brighter Than Creation's Dark, the latest release by DBT. The album is clearly transitional, and not just because Jason Isbell has left the band. The record also showcases the softer, "acoustic" side of the band more than any other previous release. Then there is the emergence of Shonna Tucker as a songwriter and vocalist. John Neff also rises to the occasion with extremely atmospheric pedal steel guitar (Jesus, his work on "The Opening Act" is beyond evocative and atmospheric and really makes that tune the highlight of the album), tasty slide and electric lead("3 Dimes Down") and gorgeous acoustic lead guitar ("Perfect Timing", which sounds like some bastard child of the Grateful Dead's Workingman and American Beauty period with a touch of Reckoning thrown in). It also includes the incredibly wise keyboard playing of veteran sideman Spooner Oldham whose timing is deliciously and perfectly off-kilter for the Jack Daniels meets heroin sound of the DBT.

Hood's nine contributions to the album vary in quality and style, the best being the aforementioned "The Opening Act" (which is just killer), "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife", "Daddy Needs a Drink" and the lethargic "Monument Valley". Patterson's, "That Man I Shot", has powerful and ferocious guitar work which lends to the moral dilema of the song's subject. But the tune, as brash and furious as Hood's interesting lyrics are presented, lacks an interesting bridge. "The Righteous Path" is another interesting lyric which is set to a plodding repetitive simple chord progression which seems borrowed from "The Buford Stick", but the latter song was more interesting. The thankfully short, "You and Your Crystal Meth", is about as interesting musically as an anti-drug TV ad - very forgettable on a musical level.

Hood's other midling efforts for this album include "The Home Front" (an Iraqi war veteran's wife's story) and the suicidal and monotonous "Goode's Field Road".

Shonna Tucker's three contributions to the album deserve more credit than most have given them in previous reviews. The rockin' "Home Field Advantage" has the makings of a hit, although perhaps it should fade out during the dissonant "jam" at the end for the single edit. "Purgatory Line," is gorgeous and atypical of DBT, exposing the possibilities still yet unexplored by this band. "I'm Sorry Huston," leaves plenty of mystery in its lyrics' story line and the melody is palpably mournful. I encourage Shonna to continue her pursuit as a songwriter. She's got some interesting stuff to be heard.

Cooley's always accessible contributions to the album are a welcome interval between the stylings of Hood and Tucker. Mike weighs in with seven tunes, the best of which are "Ghost To Most" (this is classic DBT), and the gorgeous, if not somewhat melodically predictable, "Checkout Time In Vegas." "Lisa's Birthday," might be melodically and subjectively tried and true, but dammit I love this tune. "Bob," is also a cool, melodically simple, yet complex character study done with an economy of words ("He might kneel but he doesn't bend over"). "Self Destructive Zones" is a graet tune melodically, with a lyric which puzzles me at times. The aforementioned "Perfect Timing," has really tasty acoustic guitar by John Neff which really dresses the Cooley tune up nicely.

Cooley's earliest effort on the record, "3 Dimes Down," has stellar slide and other guitar work by John Neff. The track begins in a completely promising fashion with great guitar riffs and interplay with a sound reminiscent of the Stones and Faces in their heyday. It's a great song but I wish it had another verse at the end instead of two verses and a long instrumental bridge and ending. Seems like this tune, like this album, falls 25 cents shy of a slice of the Doublemint Twins.

Still, a DBT album that falls short is ninety nine times better than anything else out there. I give it four stars! So rock on and enjoy it. Play this CD frequently until you are able to see this great band when they come to your town. Make sure you're in a Jack Daniels frame of mind. It's the heroin of booze. September 1, 2008

TOO LONG--At Times Good...Often BORING

I wanted badly to like "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." When I first heard the title of the album, I hoped DBT would revert to some of the hard-edged flare of "The Dirty South" or "Southern Rock Opera." Unfortunately, this latest Trucker's release is far too time-consuming and far too short on substance. While there are certainly some jewels on this disc ("The Man I Shot," "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife," and "A Ghost to Most"), there are several forgettable tracks. "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" suffers from the Guns N Roses "Use Your Illusion I & II" disease of foregoing a great, compact release for a lengthy average work. The CD is arguably nine songs too long. The Truckers should have released "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" as a solid 10-song disc. Far too often bands release too much filler on discs these days instead of giving listeners a solid, shorter work. As much as Shonna Tucker improves the visual image of the band, her songwriting hurts "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." The three tunes she offers on the release are forgettable at best ("The Purgatory Line") and just plain horrible ("I'm Sorry Huston"). Maybe Jason Isbell should have stayed on with the band and sent Shonna packing. Of course, Shonna isn't the only offender on "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." Mike Cooley also offers up a few duds ("Lisa's Birthday" and "Bob") as does Patterson Hood ("You and Your Crystal Meth" and "Daddy Needs A Drink"). All said "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" could have been a great album if it were trimmed down and cranked up a bit. Too often the album plods along at a SLOW tempo seemingly forgetting the band has its roots in Rock and Roll. If DBT keeps up at this pace, I may throw myself off Lookout Mountain to save the trouble of enduring another such slipshod collection. July 8, 2008

Brighter than most other artists.

When that first song started up, I was immediately transported to "Little Bonnie", which to me in retrospect was one of the few bright spots on the last album. I recently lost my daddy, so DBT's have been on repeat pretty much. "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" is, simply put, my favorite song so far of the last year of new releases. I often find myself sitting out in the cemetery, watching the rain fall onto the windshield of my truck as the lonesome banjo rolls on and the pedal steel wails directly into my heart. The harmony is absolutely breathtaking, and I've shed more than one tear listening to this song.

The rest of the album holds up to the very lofty expectations that the first song creates. As a southern family man, "The Righteous Path" made me think of the 'notice of foreclosure' I got one time right when our economy went to hell.

I have to say that Shonna's introduction on this album as a contributing singer/writer is something new and beautiful as well. I hope she keeps doing her thing for a long time to come. Patterson, Easy-B, Cooley, and Shonna have accompanied me on this hell-trip called life for a good while now. This album will get me a few miles further down the highway. It'll do the same for you too. June 12, 2008

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