Drive-By Truckers - Sometimes Late At Night EP

Drive-By Truckers have been their usual prolific selves of late, dropping two full-length in the last year. The most recent is Go-Go Boots and it may very well be the best release of the post-Isbell DBT era. Never ones to let the opportunity to release another recording slide, the band has released this companion EP called Sometimes Late At Night. It's got a studio cover of the Vic Chestnutt track When I Ran Off And Left Her, plus four live tracks. The closing live Buttholeville (dovetailed with State Trooper) features Cody Dickinson of North Mississippi All-Stars for added jam value. It's been getting a little tired saying how good DBT have been of late, but it's true once again with Sometimes Late At Night. The live versions of Buckets Of Mercy and Everybody Needs Love are pretty stellar and the Vic cover is pretty choice, too. Cover art is pretty aces, too. Get this from iTunes or from the DBT web presence here.

R

Drive By Truckers - The Big To-Do

Drive By Truckers are pretty funny. They tour heavily and are forever proclaiming that they'll be taking some time off after their next release. Patterson is saying it again, yet DBT are releasing not one, but two, band records this year as well as solo records from Patterson and Cooley. That'll keep them at home.

The Big To-Do is the first DBT release of 2010. It features the usual three-way split of songs between Patterson, Cooley and Shonna. I think Cooley comes out on top again, but much like The Beatles, it's choose your own adventure time when it comes to favoritism in the Drive By Truckers franchise. Birthday Boy is my pick for the Cooley high point, but the quiet closer Eyes Like Glue is another strong contender.

As far as Patterson, he can still paint a picture like no other, but there are a few moments on The Big To-Do where his vocals gets uncomfortably Tom Petty for these ears. Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge Tom Petty fan, but I don't know how much I want to hear Patterson sing like him. But maybe that's just me. It'll be interesting to see how things go when DBT and Tom Petty tour together this summer. That small niggle aside, he and Shonna more than hold their own here, and record number ten marks another great release from Drive By Truckers. They are indisputably up there with Lucero and The Hold Steady as the best American bands out there. I'm excited to hear record number eleven this Summer. While you're waiting, look out for the Eddie Hinton 7", a song on the new John Prine tribute and the new documentary The Secret To A Happy Ending (now in limited theatrical release).

R