What’s not to like about Drive-By Truckers. Firstly, the band creates a wonderful image of a group of middle aged men who could bear a slight resemblance to ZZ Top. Secondly, what music are they going to play? Probably a rock theme...

Well it nearly fits! Sharing a southern rock sound with country, the band has been dishing out albums with recognition since nineties, receiving regular chart appearances.

Thoughts and Prayers is from their latest album ‘The Unraveling’, the 12th studio album from the Georgia, Athens based band. Their country enthused soft rock vibe is growing more in popularity, as are their views on politics, particularly in their own country. 

Thoughts and Prayers as the title suggests is very much a song about remembrance, but it’s more than that, it is a straightforward protest song, with constant reference to the tragic series of school shootings in America and the stupidity of the lawmakers not to have done more to stop these things happening again and again. With lines like ‘They’re lined up on the playground, with their hands up in the air’ there is a tension and a reminder that it is the innocent who suffer as a result of the American gun laws. Lyrically this is powerful and it’s what more artists need to do to show they care and they can make a difference, so well done to Drive-By Truckers for this honest and straight to the point lyrical work. Musically, their is the country feel throughout the song, there is the slight twang in Patterson Hood’s vocal, with clean acoustic guitars, occasional slide guitar, and piano that leave no doubt where the soul of this song lies. The vocals are raw, they are natural, they croak because they have to, you can’t deliver a song like this without it being real and honest and Drive-By Truckers do this in spades. 

I have no doubt that this song will make inroads into the charts, but I hope people who aren’t listeners to country music hear it too. It would be great if people started acting on the message from the lyrics of the song. In addition, it would be good to see other artists as empowered, honest and raw with their work. 

 Country     Rock 

Author: Phil Arnold

Phil Arnold is a musician, producer and music reviewer from Devon, in the South West of England. Whilst not writing music reviews, Phil also writes and records under the name of Ugbrooke.