Drive-By Truckers Album: “Pizza Deliverance”

The music they perform sort of a mixture of Uncle Tupelo, Bottle Rockets and other energetic country bands. Don't be driven away by the cartoonish cover and their choice of song titles for behind all of that is real quality and a sincere appreciation for music. It is their fine musicianship and an intelligent song writing that stands out from so many bland "middle-of-the-road" Alt-country bands out today. Plus, their live shows are louder than hell and they never take breaks (except for PBR).

This was the Trucker's second album, but was pretty much the songs they toured on when they first started out. In the liner notes, Patterson Hood states that they basically wanted to capture all those tunes even though "Gangstabilly" was the first release. This album has a lot of songs on it. As a result, the album seems kind of long to me, but really, there's only maybe one annoying song on the whole album. So, 13/14 ain't too bad.

First, the annoying one: "The President's Penis is Missing" is basically a jokey-jokey song not only about Clinton but a whole bunch of former U.S. presidential affairs. Might have been funny at the time, but seeing as how I got this CD in the middle of Bush's second term, it's outdated, and the music sounds like it belongs in a circus act. And for those of you keeping political score at home - it's neither defending or condemning these affairs, but just basically says it is what it is.

I'm not going to do a blow by blow of the rest of the tunes. They're all pretty great in their own way, and my favorites change depending on the day of the week. One notable is "The Company I Keep." To me, this is classic Patterson Hood. Just like Robert Plant claims "Kashmir" is the quintessential Led Zeppelin tune, "The Company I Keep" is THE ANTHEM of the DBT. Again, it's not my favorite tune, but the chorus is catchy as all get-out.

Mike Cooley's tunes, "Uncle Frank" and "One of These Days" are always in my head. If you google the Tennessee Valley Authority you'll find tons of sites discussing how great it was for Alabama. "Uncle Frank" tells the story from a different opinion. "One of These Days" seems to be about a rite of passage to me, or at least how different places and events can change a person.

"Pizza Deliverance" should have been an indication that these guys were destined for great things.

I picked up an advance copy of Pizza Deliverance, and it's a step forward from the Truckers' excellent first album. New guitarist Rob Malone is on board to punch up the sound. The songwriting and raw guitar playing are as good as ever, which means outstanding. The boys' remake of "Nine Bullets" from the first album is great. This a very talented band that deserves to be heard.

Listening to this CD is like pure heaven. From the first track to the very last, your hairs will stand up straight. It will inspire all you young country or folk singers to be the best you can be. It was the kind of album when I first heard it, that discouraged me because, frankly, I can't imagine music much better than this.

Highly recommended! And if you're a DBT fan and don't have this, make it your next purchase. You won't be disappointed.

The title of track 4 says it all. Drive by Truckers have a way with words and can capture the quirks of life within their masterful lyrics. Or maybe they have a quirky way of looking at life. Musically sound, these guys are a great band to listen to live and "Pizza Deliverance" is pure art from the first track through the fourteenth song. Highlights include "Nine Bullets", "Margo and Harold", "The President's Penis is Missing", and "Zoloft". Often introspective and melancholy in nature - although much humor is interspersed, the songs demonstrate great musicianship and are delivered with a unique voice that grows on you after each listen. Give the album a try, you'll be glad you did.