The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 2/18/08 Section: The Mix

Media Credit: John Thrasher, MCT Campus The Drive-By Truckers have begun their 2008 Home Front Tour and will be in Asheville, N.C., on March 29.

It is March 31, 2007, and the Drive-By Truckers have just finished a two-night engagement at the Music Farm in Charleston. The next day, Jason Isbell, lead guitarist and one of three singer-songwriters for the band, posts this on a MySpace blog: "I am not in the Drive-By Truckers anymore. Go figure. I wish them luck. I will not answer questions about it."

It was not an April Fool's Day prank. Isbell was leaving the Truckers after five years and three critically acclaimed albums to pursue a solo career. Two months later, Isbell released his excellent first solo album "Sirens of the Ditch," which was co-produced by Trucker front man Patterson Hood with most of the Truckers contributing in some way or another.

This was the first pivotal point in a series of events that led to the Drive-By Truckers' seventh studio album, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." After Isbell's departure, Hood and co-founder Mike Cooley decided to move on and embark on an all-acoustic tour that they christened The Dirt Underneath Tour.

They brought longtime collaborator John Neff on board as a full-time member to contribute pedal steel and, when needed, a third guitar. But before they embarked on The Dirt Underneath Tour, they were asked to back up soul legend Bettye LaVette on her new album. The resulting collection, entitled "The Scene of the Crime," wound up on numerous critics' top 10 lists and displayed a side of the band not often evident in their southern rock discography.

Recording the album with LaVette opened up yet another door to the Truckers.

Keyboard player Spooner Oldham was also involved in the recording sessions for "Scene of the Crime," which led to his participation in both The Dirt Underneath Tour and "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." Oldham is a veteran Muscle Shoals session player, having played on hits by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin and Percy Sledge. He has also played with rock and roll legends like Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Dickey Betts.

So with the addition of Neff and Oldham, the Truckers embarked on their Dirt Underneath Tour, debuting new songs and new members before live audiences across the country. The sound was distinctly different from the Truckers' normal "rock" show, with Neff's pedal steel and Oldham's soulful keyboards highlighting the songs of Hood and Cooley in ways that the infamous three-guitar attack that the band had perfected with Isbell never could.

The departure of Isbell also opened the door for more participation by his former wife, bassist Shonna Tucker. Always a strong bass player, Tucker's beautiful background vocals were highlighted in the acoustic, intimate settings of The Dirt Underneath Tour.

This all led up to what may just be the best Drive-By Truckers album yet, "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." A sprawling, 19-song beast of an album, the album contains rockers, country shuffles and R&B ballads. Stepping up in Isbell's absence, guitarist Mike Cooley puts forward an unprecedented seven songs, and Tucker debuts her southern soul vocal chops with three contributions of her own. The always-prolific Hood gets the rest of the credits.

The band has embarked on its 2008 Home Front Tour and will be in Asheville, N.C., at the Orange Peel on March 29. Former Trucker Jason Isbell will be playing at Headliners here in Columbia with Will Hoge on Feb. 26.

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