Record Review: A Blessing and A Curse

With the release of a new record comes anticipation and expectation. Many times the anticipation and expectation are so great that no matter how great the album may be, it can’t live up to one’s preconceived expectations. On very rare occasions the album lives up to the hype. The Drive-By Truckers sixth album “A Blessing and A Curse” is one such album. “Blessing” is an album setup to fail under the expectation brought by the Truckers previous albums “Southern Rock Opera,” “Decoration Day,” and “The Dirty South.” What band has made four albums in a row of such high quality? The Stones did it with Beggars-Let It Bleed-Sticky Fingers-Exile. Zeppelin did it with their first four. Uncle Tupelo? Their four albums are considered great by many, well by me anyways. Other then that there aren’t many others.

The Truckers have succeeded by not sticking with what worked before. While “Blessing” does have the duality of life theme, which is present in earlier albums, it’s not done with songs set in the south or told by stories of southern mythology.

The album opens with Patterson Hood’s Feb. 14, an anti Valentines Day song of sorts and proceeds with Mike Cooleys’ Gravity’s Gone, which imparts wisdom like only Cooley can:

And don't ever let them make you feel like saying what you want is unbecoming
If you were supposed to watch you're mouth all the time I doubt you're eyes would be above it

Next up is Jason Isbell’s “Easy on Yourself” which reminds us not to let life just pass us by or

Ten years down the road you'll find you're left behind. You're left behind.

Hood’s “Aftermath USA” is up next, a Stones/Faces workout about the morning after it all goes wrong. “Goodbye” follows with the lament of friendships/relationships that end without even being realized.

“Daylight” is an Isbell song that will either be loved or hated. It’s defiantly not something you’d expect to hear on a Truckers album, more of a southern soul type song with Jason trying to hit the high notes. It’s refreshing to the Truckers do a song like this one.

“Wednesday” is another Hood rocker followed by “Little Bonnie” song about the untimely death of a young girl. “Space City”, a Cooley song about a man dealing with the death of his wife. The title track follows and asks:

Is that how you're gonna write your story?
Down in your time as a high-flying flame out?
Sucking on what's left of your trust fund?
Sucking on the end of a shot gun?

“A World of Hurt” closes the album perfectly by tying all the previous songs of dispair together by saying

To love is to feel pain

and then gives hope with

Remember, it ain't too late to take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got

It's great to be alive

Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and A Curse

Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and A Curse

With the impending release of A Blessing and A Curse the Truckers next week (April 18) have put the entire album up to be streamed at the link above. You gotta love it (the streaming & the album itself)

Lions In The Streets

Straight out of the Great White North comes Lion In The Streets. Sounds like Sticky Fingers/Exile on Main Street Rolling Stones, but those are two of the best Stones albums so consider it high praise. They have a 5 song ep (homemade demos recorded in their basement) up on their site for free download (only 3 of 5 tracks currently up, other 2 are to be added shortly along w/ album art.) They also have a homemade video on the site.

Lions In The Streets

W I L C O

On Wilco's website a recent Jeff Tweedy solo show at the U. of Chicago is being streamed. Quality stuff as always from Mr. Tweedy. The most recent Wilco album, A Ghost is Born really didn't impress me much, not to say it was bad or anything, it just didn't grab me. I'm more of fan of the earlier Wilco stuff, A.M., Being There. Tweedys solo shows always seem to have the feel of the older Wilco stuff for some reason, more sparce. Anyways, check it out.

W I L C O

Drive-By Truckers - Easy On Yourself

At the link below you can stream another song off of "A Blessing and A Curse" called Easy On Yourself. Also there's a link from that link that you can pre-order the album from amazon.com & they'll send you a link to stream the entire album. Which is what I'm doing right now. I'll post a review of the album after a couple listens. Pretty good sofar.

Drive-By Truckers - Easy On Yourself

Jenny Lewis w/ the Watson Twins

Rilo Kelly's Jenny Lewis has recently put out her first solo album, Rabbit Fur Coat. It's an album of simply arranged, sparse songs with an almost gospel/country tinge to them.
Through the entire album she's backed-up by the Waston Twins which create vocal harmonies reminct of so early do-wop. I've never been one who likes female singers all that much (don't really know why that is) but this album works for me even though a few times it sounds too sweet.

Follow the link to mp3s of almost the entire album on the record labels site. (the only track missing is the cover of a Traveling Wilbury's song) I love that the record label lets you listen to the album knowing that while some will download & not pay for it many will listen, like what they hear & buy it. More record labels should do this but it only works if you're putting out albums of good music. Which is probably why the major labels shy away from doing this & don't like mp3s to begin with.
Team Love ~ Jenny Lewis ~

Two Gallants

The band, Two Gallants new album "What the Toll Tells" is streaming & can be purasched at the link below. I just heard about these guys & just by listening to the first song "Las Cruces Jail" it's evident that these guys are worth inlooking into further.

Saddle Creek US Online Store: Two Gallants

MISRA

Centro-Matic's new album is being streamed on the Misra website. the Drive-By-Truckers' Patterson Hood says "This one ain't out yet, but I love it more than any album all year. My favorite band has made their best album. A masterpiece." What more needs to be said?

MISRA

American Minor

Like the the Rolling Stones, the Black Crowes & eary Aerosmith (you know, back when they were still on drugs & put out good music)? When then check out American Minor. Nothing really ground breaking, but quality music just he same.

Dynasonic: American Minor Podcast

www.myspace.com/gourds

Gin & Juice - The Gourds

Harken back to the early 90's, back when MTV actually showed videos and gansta rap was all the rage. Snoop Dogg's Gin & Juice was huge. Funny this isn't how you remebered it. This isn't Snoop, it's bluegrass (not to be confused with the type of grass that Snoop is usally associated with). This song was put out by Austin, Texas's The Gourds on their album Shinebox released in 1998.
www.myspace.com/gourds

A Blessing And A Curse

The great band Drive By Truckers have a new albuming coming out in April & have set up this website for it.
A Blessing And A Curse
It plays the first single "Feb 14" and the DBT's version of "Like a Rolling Stone"