There are many ways one can say that country music is different than it used to be. Sure, the instrumentation and the arrangements have changed over the years, but that’s not all. Think of the great story songs, such as “Carroll Country Accident,” or “Ode To Billie Joe.” You don’t hear records like that anymore. There’s not a lot of mystery on the airwaves nowadays.

Another sub-genre in Country Music that has fallen by the wayside is the trucking song. From its’ heyday in the 1960s all the way through the decade of the 1980s, Country Music tipped the hat to the men behind the wheel on several occasions, and I’m glad to say that one of the most traditional voices out there—Aaron Tippin—is doing his best to bring those songs back.

There was an excitement to records like Dave Dudley’s “Six Days On The Road,” and maybe a little bit of romance, as well. Think about it—late night city lights…passing through towns like Terre Haute, Cullman, or driving up the rugged Monteagle Mountain…truck stop food, and keeping an eye out for that nemesis of the late night driver…Smokey Bear! There’s an image out there that these songs so vividly project.

For his part, Tippin doesn’t try to recreate these records—rather, he tries to introduce them to a new audience, and he does well in regards to that on interpretations of such classics as “East Bound And Down,” “Six Days On The Road,” “Chicken Truck,” and perhaps the very first truck driving song, “Truck Drivin’ Man,” originally a hit back in 1954 from Terry Fell.

Aaron also throws a few wild cards into the mix, including a groovin’ take on Eddie Rabbitt’s 1980 classic “Drivin’ My Life Away” that features his wife Thea on harmony, a beat-heavy nod to Merle Haggard with his 1975 # 1 “Movin’ On,” (also the title and theme of a successful NBC series Claude Akins) and Alabama’s heart-tugging 1984 smash “Roll On.” Has that song been out long enough to be a “classic?” I guess the calendar says so!

He also scores on the Cledus Maggard favorite “The White Knight,” as well as the newer truckin’ story song “The Ballad Of Danger Dave and Double Trouble,” which sounds like it could have been cut by Red Sovine, Del Reeves, or Moore and Napier.

While IN OVERDRIVE won’t solve the national debt, what I think this album will do is enable one to turn back the hands of time—whether you’re driving on Interstate 40 from California to North Carolina, or United States Highway 45 from Illinois all the way down to the Gulf, it will remind you of those timeless tales of greasy spoons, truck driving queens, No-Doz, and keeping an eye out for the weigh stations! A brilliant album from start to finish! 10-4, Good Buddy!

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 27th, 2009 at 5:44 pm and is filed under Macon/Cleveland (CD Reviews). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.