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The Georgia sextet Drive-By Truckers don’t fall into any neat musical category: Are they alt-country, Southern rock, a modern-day Lynyrd Skynyrd, or just a beloved critics’ band? The answer is “all of the above,” and on The Big To-Do they again show just how potent a group they are. As usual, DBT’s songs are tough, bleak, powerful takes on luckless characters beset by misery, but the band’s rousing music turns these potentially depressing tunes into inspiring rallying cries.


Few bands write with such a keen eye for the details of daily life, and The Big To-Do is one of their most hard-charging sets.

Three Good Songwriters, One Coherent Album

Drive-By Truckers, unlike many bands, have not one but two capable songwriters in their lineup. While guitarist Patterson Hood remains the group’s de facto frontman, he has an excellent sidekick in fellow guitarist Mike Cooley – both men have a gift for writing bare-knuckled rock songs as well as tender, bittersweet ballads. After 2006’s A Blessing and a Curse, Drive-By Truckers lost their third songwriter – Jason Isbell, who left to pursue a solo career – but bassist Shonna Tucker (Isbell’s ex-wife) has started penning her own songs for the group since his departure. (If DBT were the Beatles, she would be George Harrison, who produced only a few songs per record.) As a result The Big To-Do – like their last album, 2008’s Brighter Than Creation’s Dark – feels tonally and emotionally balanced, offering a plethora of different feels and styles.

But unlike Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, which seemed a bit overstuffed at 19 tracks, The Big To-Do is a pretty compact 13 songs, leaving less room for fat.

Songs With Memorable Stories

As with the band’s best albums – such as 2003’s Decoration Day and 2004’s The Dirty South – The Big To-Do is a wonder of both music and lyrics. The urgent bulldozer guitars on tunes like “Drag the Lake Charlie” or “Daddy Learned to Fly” are apparent from the first second, but the subject matter adds to the drama and suspense. Much like Bruce Springsteen, Drive-By Truckers write about regular folks, specifically looking at those who are going through tough times. But the Truckers rarely seem condescending in the treatment of their protagonists – the tales are universal rather than self-pitying. Tucker’s “You Got Another” deals with a cheating husband, Hood’s “Santa Fe” is about two traveling lovers trying to make a connection on the road, and Cooley’s “Birthday Boy” tells of an awkward encounter between a stripper and one of her customers. These are but three of the stories you hear on The Big To-Do, and the specificity of the tales – with their mixture of humor, pathos and relatable sentiments – are as compelling as the song’s hooks.

Rockers and Ballads, Hand in Hand

While it’s true that Drive-By Truckers operate in a middle ground between different musical styles, The Big To-Do represents a more concentrated focus on hard rock than some previous DBT records. Especially near the beginning, The Big To-Do has a formidable headlong rush, but the Truckers also make room for ballads like “The Flying Wallendas” and the country-ish laments “Santa Fe” and “Eyes Like Glue.” The album’s dexterity is one of its main selling points – like its twitchy, anxious characters, The Big To-Do never sits still from track to track, reflecting the highs and lows of everyday existence. In the process, Drive-By Truckers’ ninth studio album is one of their very finest.

'The Big To-Do' – Best Tracks

“Daddy Learned to Fly” (Purchase/Download)
“Drag the Lake Charlie” (Purchase/Download)
“You Got Another” (Purchase/Download)
“Birthday Boy” (Purchase/Download)
“Santa Fe” (Purchase/Download)

Release date – March 16, 2010
ATO Records