Additional personnel includes: Kelly Hogan, Annie Richmond, Boston.

Producers: Drive-By Truckers, Dick Cooper, David Barbe.

Includes liner notes by Patterson Hood.

Adapter: Lilla Hood.

Audio Mixer: David Barbe.

Liner Note Author: Patterson Hood.

Recording information: Birmingham, AL.

Photographers: Patrick Hood; Wes Freed.

A sprawling two-disc set, the Drive-By Truckers' SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA is a cracked masterpiece that's enjoyable on several different levels. Hipsters might enjoy the giggly premise of a two-disc set devoted to a slightly altered retelling of the rise and fall of 1970s Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd. Progressive rock fans lamenting the modern era's relative lack of story-driven albums divided into "Act I" and "Act II" will latch onto SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA with the same passion with which they embraced THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY. And most importantly, unreconstructed Southern rockers of the boogie-and-beer variety will appreciate the fact that this is an unapologetic, non-ironic valentine to the sound of not only Skynyrd, but the Allman Brothers, the Marshall Tucker Band, and the modern-day jam bands that are their musical descendents. Funny and surprisingly sad, passionate but with obvious good humor, SOUTHERN ROCK OPERA must be experienced to be understood.

Don't be deterred by the rather misleading title. Not a rock opera in the sense of Tommy or Jesus Christ Superstar, this sprawling double disc is more akin to a song cycle about Southern rock, in particular Lynyrd Skynyrd. Almost six years in the making, the Drive-By Truckers have created a startlingly intelligent work that proudly stands with the best music of their obvious inspiration. Largely written and conceived by lead trucker Patterson Hood (son of famed Muscle Shoals bassist David Hood), who sings the majority of the songs in a torn, ragged, but emotionally charged twangy voice somewhere between Tom Petty and Rod Stewart, these 20 literate tracks encapsulate a remarkably objective look at what Hood calls "the duality of the South." Rocking with a lean hardness, the story unfolds over 90 minutes, but the savvy lyrical observations never overburden the songs' clenched grip. While bands like the similarly styled Bottle Rockets have worked this territory before, never has a group created an opus that's thematically tied to this genre while objectively exploring its conceptual limitations. The two discs are divided into Acts I and II; the first sets the stage by exploring aspects of an unnamed Southern teen's background growing up as a music fan in an environment where sports stars, not rock stars, were idolized. The second follows him as he joins his Skynyrd-styled dream band, tours the world, and eventually crashes to his death in the same sort of airplane accident that claimed his heroes. The Drive-By Truckers proudly charge through these songs with their three guitars, grinding and soloing with a swampy intensity recalling a grittier, less commercially viable early version of Skynyrd. A potentially dodgy concept that's redeemed by magnificent songwriting, passionate singing, and ruggedly confident but far from over-the-top playing, Southern Rock Opera should be required listening not only for fans of the genre, but anyone interested in the history of '70s rock, or even the history of the South in that decade. More the story of Hood than Skynyrd, this is thought-provoking music that also slashes, burns, and kicks out the jams. Its narrative comes to life through these songs of alienation, excess, and, ultimately, salvation, as seen through the eyes of someone who lived and understands it better than most. ~ Hal Horowitz