Based on the glowing reviews that Drive-By Truckers received for their last LP, 2016's American Band, it's seems like critics were just waiting for the Georgian Southern rockers to reveal themselves plainly and honestly.
On their followup, The Unraveling, the Truckers attempt to repeat this success, reaching into the bottomless pit of modern-day issues to craft another batch of politically minded songs. Similarly refreshing as the last time around, new tracks like the dusty acoustic "Thoughts and Prayers" (which drops the term "drain the swamp"), and the harmoniously boggy "Babies in Cages" ("This ain't the country that our grandads fought for") do little to hide their pointed and graceful ire.
Although The Unraveling is a strong album thematically, songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley do little to push these songs forward sonically, as tracks like the Replacements-lite "Heroin Again" and the nightclub crooner "Grievance Merchants" can attest.
Nevertheless, on The Unraveling, Drive-By Truckers deliver another socially charged to-the-bone manifesto that sticks closely to their newfound credo: If the country's still broke, keep trying to fix it.
(ATO Records)On their followup, The Unraveling, the Truckers attempt to repeat this success, reaching into the bottomless pit of modern-day issues to craft another batch of politically minded songs. Similarly refreshing as the last time around, new tracks like the dusty acoustic "Thoughts and Prayers" (which drops the term "drain the swamp"), and the harmoniously boggy "Babies in Cages" ("This ain't the country that our grandads fought for") do little to hide their pointed and graceful ire.
Although The Unraveling is a strong album thematically, songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley do little to push these songs forward sonically, as tracks like the Replacements-lite "Heroin Again" and the nightclub crooner "Grievance Merchants" can attest.
Nevertheless, on The Unraveling, Drive-By Truckers deliver another socially charged to-the-bone manifesto that sticks closely to their newfound credo: If the country's still broke, keep trying to fix it.