RSSMike Cooley/Patterson Hood/Jason Isbell
- Live at the Shoals Theater [Southeastern/Thirty Tigers, 2020] A-
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Live at the Shoals Theater [Southeastern/Thirty Tigers, 2020]
For a great band, the Drive-By Truckers don't have what you'd call a compelling sound--soloists with front-and-center showpieces, singers who can carry a track on their own, a rhythm section whose groove is an identity in motion. Ultimately, and this is unusual in any of the more muscular species of rock, their strength over some 14 studio albums has been the songwriting. But having immersed in many of these albums while reviewing Stephen Deusner's DBT biography, I was surprised to find myself returning more often than necessary to this live benefit one-off, recorded in June 2014 with all ticket proceeds forwarded to their stroke-crippled promoter friend Terry Pace but only released as a double album in 2020. It's just the three frontmen, Patterson and Cooley partners for four decades with the mercurial Isbell back in the saddle because he cares about Pace too. The beauty part is that over strictly acoustic backing and picking all three frontmen can relax and deliver the lyrics, a total of 24 of them, just about every one a pleasure to hear anew, including several all but the most devoted fans forgot existed. The gem is Isbell's "Outfit" and everybody knows it. But "Daddy Needs a Drink" provides the perfect Father's Day touch. A-