Authenticity is always a crucial ingredient in making good music. All this time the music media has been touting My Morning Jacket as the band who would carry the Southern-rock torch, and I guess I just don't see it. Sure, MMJ has some elements of Southern-rock in their music, and they are certainly good enough to be praised pretty much universally, but they most certainly aren't the band to keep dirty Southern-rock music alive. It's just not them. So who?
Drive-By Truckers have been around too long and are too good at what they do to take a back seat to anyone. Earnest, dirty, gritty, heartfelt Southern-rock music is good for the soul. Some guys can just write songs that resonate because they are so honest and real. That's one of the best things about country music, you don't have to have the experiences relayed in the songs in order to get hit by the feeling they convey.
Anyone who's ever been down and out, heartbroken, poor, or abandoned should really be struck by the music these guys make. It's not that the songs are catchy, progressive, or intellectual (though all three are parts of the bands repertoire). It's the feeling that they really understand the dirty side of life, whether that be being down on your luck or drunk out of your mind. Those are two things that play large roles in my life, and I've quickly come to appreciate this band for their relevance and guts.
The two songs I put up are from their new album,
A Blessing and a Curse. They aren't necessarily the most representative of what's typical from the band, but both are heartfelt and twangy songs that have really brought some clarity into my outlook on things lately.
Drive-By Truckers - Gravity's GoneDrive-By Truckers - A World Of Hurt
