Drive-by Truckers leader Patterson Hood’s second solo album isn’t all that far removed from his DBT work, but it still feels slightly lacking. While Hood’s songs easily dominate all of DBT’s albums, they’re balanced by contributions from current and former bandmates Mike Cooley, Jason Isbell and Shonna Tucker, and that stabilizing force is what’s missing from Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs).
The Details
Not that there aren’t some excellent songs here: The title track is a perfect example of Hood’s ability to create vivid characters in four-minute rock songs, “Pollyanna” is a nice mix of catchy hooks and bittersweet melancholy, and “Granddaddy” is a goofy acoustic lark about growing old. Any of them would sound perfectly at home on a DBT album, although they probably wouldn’t be stand-outs.
Written over a period of years and recorded in 2005, Murdering Oscar sounds often like an album made more for friends and family than fans, and its lyrics are a little more personal and philosophical than Hood’s DBT work, the song structures a bit more meandering. It’s also less country-influenced, owing more to the classic rock of Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen than to the deeply Southern sounds that infuse most DBT tunes. The basic template is the same, though, and Hood is a consistent songwriter no matter what the setting. His B-level material makes for a fine stopgap until the next DBT release.
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