The notion of doing a concept album might seem strangely out-of-step with the dramatic shifts in the way people are now buying and listening to music but that makes no difference to the
Drive-By Truckers who've made a decent career out of recording their grandiose visions and they aren't stopping anytime soon. Their latest creation,
Go-Go Boots (ATO) – out February 15 – is nowhere near the epic proportions of 2001's
Southern Rock Opera or even 2004's
The Dirty South yet the album similarly employs a song-cycle approach in which character-driven vignettes are used to detail a distinctly Southern narrative. The difference with
Go-Go Boots is less thematic than geographical in that they're now focusing specifically on the Northern region of Alabama where the songwriting Truckers'
Patterson Hood,
Mike Cooley and
Shonna Tucker grew up. But don't worry, the folks who inhabit these songs are every bit as troubled, ornery or flat-out crazy as you'd encounter on any other Drive-By Truckers recording.
Perhaps most important of all, Muscle Shoals is the locus of the album's musical inspiration as the Alabama home of
Rick Hall's
FAME Studios and the
Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (chiefly
Jimmy Johnson,
Roger Hawkins,
Barry Beckett and
David Hood who is Patterson's father) behind countless classic recordings by
Aretha Franklin,
Wilson Pickett, the
Staple Singers,
Arthur Alexander,
Johnnie Taylor,
Clarence Carter,
Tony Joe White and anyone else looking to enrich their recording with a Southern feel. Consequently Go-Go Boots takes a sharp turn away from the full-on rock attack of last year's
The Big To-Do in a move towards a downtempo groove-oriented approach associated with the archetypal Muscle Shoals sound of the 60s. It's a brilliant move so masterfully executed it makes you wonder why they haven't tried this before but perhaps Hood and company needed a few years to grow into this concept.
With three prolific writers in the band, the Truckers have never needed to include any cover material on their studio albums. But Go-Go Boots being their love letter to Muscle Shoals, they've appropriately cut two sweet songs by the late great singer/songwriter and session guitarist
Eddie Hinton, Everybody Needs Love and Where's Eddie, which don't seem at all out of place on the new album. Those hoping for their fix of guitar-blazing anthems to shout along with may be disappointed with the overall laidback vibe but Go-Go Boots is nevertheless the Truckers' most soulfully mature work yet and stands near the top of their career accomplishments.The video interview and song clips included below, shot by
Jason Thrasher, will give you a better idea of what Go-Go Boots is all about.
It should also be noted that the Truckers have put together a limited-run bonus EP called
Sometimes Late At Night to be given away free with the purchase of Go-Go Boots on February 15 at participating independent record stores. The six-song collection includes their cover of
Vic Chesnutt's When I Ran Off And Left Her cut during the Go-Go Boots sessions along with live versions of Used To Be A Cop, Everybody Needs Love, Get Downtown, Mercy Buckets and a smokin' 10 minute-plus medley of Buttholeville and State Trooper with help from
Cody Dickinson of the
North Missisippi All Stars.
As an addendum, anyone interested in checking out Eddie Hinton's own incredible recordings should start with tracking down 1978's Very Extremely Dangerous (Capricorn), 1986's Letters From Mississippi (Mobile Fidelity) and 1999's Hard Luck Guy (Zane).
Go-Go Boots (ATO)
1. "I Do Believe" (Hood)
2. "Go-Go Boots" (Hood)
3. "Dancin’ Ricky" (Tucker)
4. "Cartoon Gold" (Cooley)
5. "Ray’s Automatic Weapon" (Hood)
6. "Everybody Needs Love" (Hinton)
7. "Assholes" (Hood)
8. "The Weakest Man" (Cooley)
9. "Used To Be A Cop" (Hood)
10. "The Fireplace Poker" (Hood)
11. "Where’s Eddie" (Hinton)
12. "The Thanksgiving Filter" (Hood)
13. "Pulaski" (Cooley)
14. "Mercy Buckets" (Hood)
15. "I Hear You Hummin'" (Tucker) (bonus track - vinyl only)
Go-Go Boots Preview
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