Gangstabilly

These northern Alabama to Athens, Georgia southern rockers never shy from their “redneck” roots. DBT revel in the gorgeous honey-sweet harmonies, the lonely, forlorn sweeps of pedal steel, the loud, monolithic crunch of the guitars and the spirited rhythms that bring the saddest tragedies to life. Led by Mike Cooley and Patterson Hood, the son of Muscle Shoals studio pro bassist David Hood, DBT sing of “drinkin’” and “cheatin’,” toying with the southern rock clichés and delivering the emotional truth behind “Wife Beater,” “The Living Bubba” and “18 Wheels of Love” with an intelligence and affection that never denigrates its subjects. Arguably, the band aimed conceptually higher with Southern Rock Opera. But conceptual heft is only one factor in their success. Gangstabilly was their 1998 debut and what it lacks in experience, it makes up for in sheer firepower. The playing is loose and polished, weepy (“Wife Beater”), and often tough and jagged (“The Hard Sell”). The true secret weapon here is Patterson Hood, whose vocals imbue a proud southernism with all the compassion heard in the finest country singers from Hank Williams to George Jones.

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