I wanted badly to like "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." When I first heard the title of the album, I hoped DBT would revert to some of the hard-edged flare of "The Dirty South" or "Southern Rock Opera." Unfortunately, this latest Trucker's release is far too time-consuming and far too short on substance. While there are certainly some jewels on this disc ("The Man I Shot," "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife," and "A Ghost to Most"), there are several forgettable tracks. "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" suffers from the Guns N Roses "Use Your Illusion I & II" disease of foregoing a great, compact release for a lengthy average work. The CD is arguably nine songs too long. The Truckers should have released "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" as a solid 10-song disc. Far too often bands release too much filler on discs these days instead of giving listeners a solid, shorter work. As much as Shonna Tucker improves the visual image of the band, her songwriting hurts "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." The three tunes she offers on the release are forgettable at best ("The Purgatory Line") and just plain horrible ("I'm Sorry Huston"). Maybe Jason Isbell should have stayed on with the band and sent Shonna packing. Of course, Shonna isn't the only offender on "Brighter Than Creation's Dark." Mike Cooley also offers up a few duds ("Lisa's Birthday" and "Bob") as does Patterson Hood ("You and Your Crystal Meth" and "Daddy Needs A Drink"). All said "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" could have been a great album if it were trimmed down and cranked up a bit. Too often the album plods along at a SLOW tempo seemingly forgetting the band has its roots in Rock and Roll. If DBT keeps up at this pace, I may throw myself off Lookout Mountain to save the trouble of enduring another such slipshod collection.
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