Product Description

DBT s brand new album is a Southern gothic rock n' roll masterpiece with 19 songs adding up to over 75 minutes of pure rock n roll. The band continues its notorious 3-guitar attack with the promotion of longtime sidekick John Neff to full member. Patterson Hood contributes 9 songs to the album (The Righteous Path, Daddy Needs A Drink), 7 songs from Mike Cooley (A Ghost To Most, Lisa's Birthday) and 3 songs from Shonna Tucker (The Purgatory Line). This it the first time Shonna has written the songs for a DBT album. All this is enhanced with musical contributions from he legendary Spooner Oldham.

As Patterson Hood says about the songs on the album, Stylistically, they run the gamut from old-timey sounding country to a heavy R&B influence. Some songs that are quieter than any we've ever recorded and some that rock harder than anything we've ever done. In the end it's still all Rock and Roll (which is why that will always be the description of choice to us when describing our music in stylistic terms).

Drive-By Truckers are one of the most unique recording artists and live bands in popular music today. The Truckers write about people, places and situations like no one else, and have build an amazing worldwide audience in the process.

Track Listing

1. Two Daughters And A Beautiful Wife
2. 3 Dimes Down
3. The Righteous Path
4. I'm Sorry Huston
5. Perfect Timing
6. Daddy Needs A Drink
7. Self Destructive Zones
8. Bob
9. Home Field Advantage
10. The Opening Act
11. Lisa's Birthday
12. Than Man I Shot
13. The Purgatory Line
14. The Home Front
15. Checkout Time In Vegas
16. You And Your Crystal Meth
17. Goode's Field Road
18. A Ghost To Most
19. The Monument Valley

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1692 in Music
• Released on: 2008-01-22
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
180-gram, 2-disc gatefold. The 2008 album from Drive-By Truckers is a 19-song 75+ minute Southern Gothic Rock n' Roll masterpiece. The album features songs from Patterson, Cooley and Shonna. The three guitar attack continues with John Neff. The album also features contributions from Spooner Oldham. Features the songs "The Righteous Path", "3 Dimes Down" and "Purgatory Line".

Customer Reviews

TOO LONG--At Times Good...Often BORING
I wanted badly to like "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." When I first heard the title of the album, I hoped DBT would revert to some of the hard-edged flare of "The Dirty South" or "Southern Rock Opera." Unfortunately, this latest Trucker's release is far too time-consuming and far too short on substance. While there are certainly some jewels on this disc ("The Man I Shot," "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife," and "A Ghost to Most"), there are several forgettable tracks. "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" suffers from the Guns N Roses "Use Your Illusion I & II" disease of foregoing a great, compact release for a lengthy average work. The CD is arguably nine songs too long. The Truckers should have released "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" as a solid 10-song disc. Far too often bands release too much filler on discs these days instead of giving listeners a solid, shorter work. As much as Shonna Tucker improves the visual image of the band, her songwriting hurts "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." The three tunes she offers on the release are forgettable at best ("The Purgatory Line") and just plain horrible ("I'm Sorry Huston"). Maybe Jason Isbell should have stayed on with the band and sent Shonna packing. Of course, Shonna isn't the only offender on "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." Mike Cooley also offers up a few duds ("Lisa's Birthday" and "Bob") as does Patterson Hood ("You and Your Crystal Meth" and "Daddy Needs A Drink"). All said "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" could have been a great album if it were trimmed down and cranked up a bit. Too often the album plods along at a SLOW tempo seemingly forgetting the band has its roots in Rock and Roll. If DBT keeps up at this pace, I may throw myself off Lookout Mountain to save the trouble of enduring another such slipshod collection.

Brighter than most other artists.
When that first song started up, I was immediately transported to "Little Bonnie", which to me in retrospect was one of the few bright spots on the last album. I recently lost my daddy, so DBT's have been on repeat pretty much. "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife" is, simply put, my favorite song so far of the last year of new releases. I often find myself sitting out in the cemetery, watching the rain fall onto the windshield of my truck as the lonesome banjo rolls on and the pedal steel wails directly into my heart. The harmony is absolutely breathtaking, and I've shed more than one tear listening to this song.

The rest of the album holds up to the very lofty expectations that the first song creates. As a southern family man, "The Righteous Path" made me think of the 'notice of foreclosure' I got one time right when our economy went to hell.

I have to say that Shonna's introduction on this album as a contributing singer/writer is something new and beautiful as well. I hope she keeps doing her thing for a long time to come. Patterson, Easy-B, Cooley, and Shonna have accompanied me on this hell-trip called life for a good while now. This album will get me a few miles further down the highway. It'll do the same for you too.

Need to get back to original stuff
I have been a faithful follower of this band for a long time and I must say that the last two albums have really been disappointing. The band clearly misses Jason Isbell, if not on the guitar side, but definitely on the songwriting and creativity side. After listening to this album, I've decided that Cooley is the only thing that keeps this CD from being sold to the highest bidder. Also, I know that the band loves Spooner Oldham, but I can't listen to any of the songs that have his awful Wurlitzer playing a half-step behind the rest of the song. It's like fingernails on a blackboard!! Three Dimes Down is a great song until I hear that da%n organ thing in the background, it's AWFUL!!! DBT, please stop experimenting and adding member's and get back to what made you popular, And that is down home, southern fried, gritty rock and roll.
It's a true disappointment.