Drive-By Truckers

The Truckers may have lost the acerbic wit and hungover hooks of departed guitarist Jason Isbell, but their song remains the same. Brighter is another monster (19 songs), full of the DBT's trademark modern Southern gothic: one part Flannery O'Connor, one part Ronny Van Zandt and filled to the brim with whiskey and tears.

Prospects were poor for what turns out to be an overflowing song bag of an album by
Lynyrd Skynyrd's arty nephews. Their last winner was 2004's The Dirty South, preceded
by two others in close succession but followed by the disoriented A Blessing and a Curse
and then the loss of tenor-songwriter Jason Isbell. Welcome though her gender bend is,
bassist and Isbell ex Shonna Tucker doesn't compensate by writing and singing.... More >