Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(61 customer reviews) 18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
These Guys Matter!,
January 5, 2005 S. Finefrock (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dirty South (Audio CD)
In their heyday, The Clash adopted the motto "The Only Band That Matters". It takes an awful lot of balls to make such a claim, and you had better be able to back it up or be prepared to look pretty foolish. Could you imagine a band like Matchbox 20 making a claim like that with a stright face? Didn't think so. The Drive By Truckers have yet to make such an auspicious claim, but if there is any band out there that could....
Like the Clash, DBT's champion the underdog in the world and offer such a detailed chronicle on the underbelly of life in the Sun Belt(Bible Belt) that it sometimes seems like musical sociology. On top of that they can also hitch their ideas to solid hook filled hard rock.
That being said, though THE DIRTY SOUTH is as strong an album that you will hear this year, it pails alittle when compared to their last two albums, SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA and DECORATION DAY. Patterson Hood, the highest profile of three excellent writers in the band,...Read more
30 of 36 people found the following review helpful
A rich mélange meriting a wide audience,
September 15, 2004 loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dirty South (Audio CD)
Pardon me if I don't keep the adjectives tucked away during this review, but "The Dirty South" deserves some lofty platitudes. The Drive-By Truckers have always embraced---even wallowed---in the traditions, stories, myths, and hallucinations that fuel lore about the South. This rich mélange merits a wide audience, and no doubt will---or should--- swell the numbers of Drive-By Truckers' fans.
Familiar themes of moonshine, cards, John Henry, love, stock car racing, and pride are given fresh treatments. The wonderful Buford Stick presents the flip side of Buford Pusser's legend (Buford is the bad guy here); The Sands of Iwo Jima contrasts the portrayal of reality with the actual reality of WWII; Danko/Manuel offers a bittersweet tribute to the dead members of the Band.
Drive-By Truckers rev up their multiple guitar attack to good effect but the crunching riffs in tracks such as Where the Devil Don't Stay and Daddy's Cup, but they invoke dread and fear through...Read more
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
CAUTION: DRIVE BY TRUCKERS ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE!,
October 14, 2005 "Old # 7" (Iron Station, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Dirty South (Audio CD)
The Drive By Truckers are highly addictive; people have been hopelessly hooked after just one listening....like I was.
"The Dirty South" is the best CD I have purchased in a number of years. The Truckers have a unique sound and a three-pronged attack of Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, and Jason Isbell. These three have their unique styles but work together like a well oiled machine. As a companion to "The Dirty South" CD, the DVD "Live at the 40 Watt" is an absolute must.
It is difficult to pinpoint what the Truckers' strongest aspect is. All are great; the lyrics, the music, the vocals, the stage presence, the energy....I could on and on.
There is not a bad track on "The Dirty South". Mike's "Where the Devil Don't Stay", "Carl Perkins' Cadillac", "Cottonseed", and "Daddy's Cup" have a hard country drive and over the top lyrics. Mike has one of the best country-rock voice's in the business.
Patterson's songs "Tornadoes", "Puttin' People...Read more
