For the last 12 years, the Drive By Truckers have have proven to be one of the most talented and consistent hard rock bands around.  They are a band that can appeal to southern rock enthusiasts and hipsters alike, occupying a unique niche while managing a widespread appeal.   As one of those few “never made a bad album” kind of bands, we have been looking forward to this album for quite some time.

“The Big To Do”  is the band’s 8th studio album, their second since the departure of Jason Isbell, and their first on Dave Matthew’s ATO Records.  After 2008′s “Brighter than Creations Dark”, “The Big To Do” is a return to form for the band, showcasing the band rocking about as hard as I can ever remember them rocking.  The album, not unlike DBT albums of the past, is full of tales about some of the South’s most nefarious characters including strippers, a murder victim,  a kinky preacher and the town drunk.  The band’s ability to tell these detailed stories though melodic songs is unmatched; throw in some excellent guitar work from Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley on top of that, and you’ve got a solid winner from the Truckers.

Right off the bat, the album hits with straight up rockers “Daddy Learned to Fly” , “The Fourth Night of My Drinking”, and “Birthday Boy”, which to say the least got my attention.  After a little story telling session they get relevant, playing a few recession rock tunes including the super cool saloon style rocker “Get Downtown”.  After a new version of the old favorite “After the Scene Dies”, and a really nice change of pace track from Shonna Tucker the band eases into the album’s acoustic closer – making the album a solid listen from front to back

While the album is short for a Drive By Truckers record(only 13 tracks), there is no shortage of the catchy tunes, crazy tales, and screaming guitars fans have come to expect.  Time will tell where this release stands in the band’s catalogue, but “The Big To Do” does anything but disappoint.  While detractors may say the album is short on standout tracks, it is consistent from start to finish – and full of tracks with all the signs of growing on you with every listen.   At the very least this album is sure to bring a handful of excellent tunes into the band’s already impressive live show.  While I know it is pretty early, I can say that this is my favorite album of the year so far.