Drive-by Truckers - A Blessing And a Curse
May 3rd, 2006
By Archived Story
Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse
The Drive-by Truckers win two awards in my book: first, they’ve got the funniest name I’ve ever heard, and second, they’re the only contemporary “southern rock” band that doesn’t make me cringe.
The key to the Truckers’ success is sincerity—I believe every word that singer Patterson Hood says. The same goes for Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell. That’s right, there are three songwriters in this group. And while a southern rock band with three singers sounds like a recipe for disaster, this Athens, Georgia band makes it work.
A Blessing and a Curse, the band’s latest release, finds the Drive-by Truckers continuing to craft their time tested, hard-rocking alt-country skills. As usual, the songs are full of melancholy and devastation, distorted guitars and twangy vocals. Tracks like “Feb. 14,” the CDs opener, have pop hooks that sound ready for radio while never compromising the style this band is known for.
The sound of A Blessing and a Curse is incredible. Mixing veteran mixer John Agnello manages to balance the massive sound created by this five-piece while maintaining something of a live feel.
As the summer rapidly approaches, everyone needs to find that loud, rowdy album that will get them through the warm months ahead. Luckily, the Drive-by Truckers’ A Blessing and a Curse has arrived just in time.
The Drive-by Truckers will be at First Avenue on May 17.
