Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera



There's no real easy way to say this without sounding like I'm full of shit (I'm actually full of chicken fried steak), but this album is by far the best driving album to date, end of story. The way the tracks flow into each other and the story they weave makes it hard to full appreciate it if you're not physically moving. This is not only the Drive-By Truckers' magnum opus, but one for the entire Country-Rock genre.

The most interesting point that I've found from the album is their comparison to the rise and fall of Southern Rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd to the cultural deterioration of the "Old South". Southern Rock Opera really does well in paying homage to Lynyrd Skynrd, Neil Young, and George Wallace. Mostly what the album is trying to do is to explain what Skynyrd was trying to do 30 years ago, for the new generation. I know it's a little egotistical and I'm pretty sure Patterson Hood and the other members of Drive-By Truckers would object, but I really do view them as this generation's Skynyrd.

Many people still have a big misconception of what the South is like. Ignorance is always going to exist; however, in our technologically advanced social networking world we live in today it's a little sad that people think of Southerners as backwards racist people. Does racism still exist in the South? Yes, but does it exist in every corner of the Globe? Hell yes! The song "The Three Great Alabama Icons" does a very good job at dissecting the race issue in the South and how former Alabama Governor George Wallace really helped cement that image of the racist South into the minds of the rest of the country. Patterson Hood really does his best to explain that there's a whole other life style and people in the South, but other people's misconceptions make it impossible to see past the Rebel Flag.

Lyrically the album is absolutely brilliant, some of the most intelligent song-writing I have seen in a good long time. Musically, some of the songs really do sound a like, but that can be said about almost any genre. The subject matter is the major drawing point of the album and that is really where it shines best.

Next time you're going out for a long drive I would highly recommend bringing this album along for the drive, it's charm and good hearted nature really makes it invaluable for those long night drives by yourself.