Drive-By Truckers - Southern Rock Opera[Act II](2001)

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daba_1 (2010-03-03)

Don't be deterred by the rather misleading title. Not a rock opera in the sense of Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar, this
sprawling double disc is more akin to a song cycle about Southern rock, in particular Lynyrd Skynyrd. Almost six years in the
making, the Drive-By Truckers have created a startlingly intelligent work that proudly stands with the best music of their
obvious inspiration. Largely written and conceived by lead trucker Patterson Hood (son of famed Muscle Shoals bassist David
Hood), who sings the majority of the songs in a torn, ragged, but emotionally charged twangy voice somewhere between Tom
Petty and Rod Stewart, these 20 literate tracks encapsulate a remarkably objective look at what Hood calls "the duality of
the South." Rocking with a lean hardness, the story unfolds over 90 minutes, but the savvy lyrical observations never
overburden the songs' clenched grip. While bands like the similarly styled Bottle Rockets have worked this territory before,
never has a group created an opus that's thematically tied to this genre while objectively exploring its conceptual
limitations. The two discs are divided into Acts I and II; the first sets the stage by exploring aspects of an unnamed
Southern teen's background growing up as a music fan in an environment where sports stars, not rock stars, were idolized. The
second follows him as he joins his Skynyrd-styled dream band, tours the world, and eventually crashes to his death in the
same sort of airplane accident that claimed his heroes. The Drive-By Truckers proudly charge through these songs with their
three guitars, grinding and soloing with a swampy intensity recalling a grittier, less commercially viable early version of
Skynyrd. A potentially dodgy concept that's redeemed by magnificent songwriting, passionate singing, and ruggedly confident
but far from over-the-top playing, Southern Rock Opera should be required listening not only for fans of the genre, but
anyone interested in the history of '70s rock, or even the history of the South in that decade. More the story of Hood than
Skynyrd, this is thought-provoking music that also slashes, burns, and kicks out the jams. Its narrative comes to life
through these songs of alienation, excess, and, ultimately, salvation, as seen through the eyes of someone who lived and
understands it better than most.