Mountain Echo

Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: Life

The songwriting in general takes a much darker tone than on previous Truckers' records, portraying a world deeply immersed in tradition, yet shrouded in an inescapable sense of despair and hopelessness.

This feeling is most evident on the simple yet effective "Daddy Needs a Drink," with Hood portraying a Southern man beat down and overcome by the world around him:

"Daddy needs a drink to deal with all the beauty / To deal with all the madness to keep from blowing up / Daddy needs a drink to calm down his badness / To execute his gladness on the fullness of his cup."

The Truckers dabble in a few different genres throughout the album, notably in the dark blues of "Goode's Field Road," an almost criminal Stones imitation on "3 Dimes Down," and the heavy sullen rock of "That Man I Shot."

But the majority of this album is defiantly country in nature, a distinct departure from the rest of their more rock-oriented albums.

The Drive-By Truckers aren't a country band, however, and "Brighter Than Creations Dark" isn't a country album either.

How a band can use a steel guitar and not automatically fall under the country moniker is beyond me, but somehow these Southern-fried rockers manage to pull it off.

It's easy to laugh at the thought of a genre like "alt-country," but after listening to this album, it makes perfect sense.

No country band would paint the bleak hopelessness of "You and Your Crystal Meth," but at the same time no rock band would put their name to the brazen Americana roots of "Perfect Timing."

Until then, No matter which title the Drive-By Truckers are placed under, you should just enjoy this album for what it is-simply great music.

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