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GRADE: B
CD •Eleven albums in and Drive-By Truckers haven't lost their edge, but "Go-Go Boots" doesn't emphasize the three-guitar rollicking raw sound the band has been known for since "Southern Rock Opera." The album is sentimental and bloody, loaded with ballads of murders and wayward women, reminiscent of Joe Cocker on the Eddie Hinton cover "Everybody Needs Love," and of Johnny Cash on "The Weakest Man." Fans new to this bunch of Southern rockers should start elsewhere, but "Boots" isn't without kick, and fits easily into the complete Truckers' library.
Bill Oram