The Dirty South

Many of the conservative small-town values of the South are still very much a part of everyday life in the Midwest. Despite hip-hop culture’s glorification of urban life and abashed values, the majority of America’s roots are still very old fashioned. Following 2002’s Southern Rock Opera and 2003’s Decoration Day, Drive By Truckers’ tongue-in-cheek stories of modest southern life in America once again supply fodder for one of the year’s best rock albums. Don’t be fooled by the carefully punned title (see The Goodie Mob), The Dirty South is everything that our new modern hip-hop world isn’t. 

Balancing their social hipness with their more-convincing-than-ever “southern man” slant, The Dirty South sees songwriters Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell splitting lead duties with more cohesion than on past efforts. Cooley’s catchy southern rock tune, “Where the Devil Don’t Stay,” contains hints of early twentieth-century folkloric imagery, while his “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac” beats around the realities of early 60s Sun Records’ mythos. Dirty sees Cooley more proficient than on Decoration Day, this time with four excellent, diverse songs of his own.

Unofficial head Trucker Patterson Hood has cut down his writing contributions to a humble six songs, including the Reagan-era “Puttin’ People on the Moon.” Hood’s wandering spirit taps into the story of a struggling family fighting unemployment, cancer, etc. in the face of a money-swindling Republican government. Using NASA as a symbol of a callous American goverment, Hood croons, “I sell a few narcotics and I sell a little blow. / I ain’t getting rich now but I’m more than gettin’ by, it’s really tough to make a living but a man just got to try. / If I die in Colbert County would it make the evening news? / They’re too busy blowin’ rockets, puttin’ people on the moon.”

Through his efficacious songwriting, enigmatic presence and fierce guitar playing, Hood carries the spirit of the Truckers through Dirty as Jason Isbell once again takes his place center stage as the crowd favorite. On “Danko/Manuel,” Isbell explores the dynamics of an overstuffed group of song writers, something he and the Truckers are becoming very familiar with. When the “Americana Era” compilation comes out (depending on how the Son Volt reunion goes), Isbell’s “The Day John Henry Died” should have a good chance at being track one, likely competing with Decoration Day‘s “Outfit.” While it hardly lives up to the depth of Hood’s peak moments, Isbell’s clear ability to please the ears may have many Trucker fans second guessing who they want at the band’s helm.

The Truckers seem to be a band both on a roll and at a turning point. The odds of their collected talent clashing with their distinct abilities is likely equal to the chances of them again putting out an even more triumphant album in 2005. The Dirty South is the rare album that sets the standards for similar artists. If you have a penchant for 70s southern rock, look no further than the Drive By Truckers. Actually, look no further if you want to hear one of the years most rewarding listens; 2005 really needed this.

Looking back on last year’s Decoration Day, The Dirty South is basically more of the same, just better. The truck ain’t slowin’ down. It may flip over or shatter into pieces, but it’ll still be blasting forward (turned up to 11) in 2005. I swear on my momma’s grave. And my papa’s. I swear it.    9/10

Written by G. William Locke