Greatest CD release day ever

So I am officially calling Jan. 22, 2008 the greatest CD release date ever. Why is that you might ask? Because two of my top five favorite bands released new studio albums today. The Drive-By Truckers dropped their very anticipated album "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" while the North Mississippi Allstars released their first recording on their own label titled "Hernando." I've been looking forward to this day since sometime in October I think.

The Drive-By Truckers album is an outstanding representation of what modern day southern rock should sound like. "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" features a lot of rock fused with just the right combination of old 70s country and just a touch of soul and blues. Songwriters Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Shonna Tucker make you think with the words to their songs, like Hood's "That Man I Shot" which talks about the feelings of a solider who returned home, yet he can't get the face of a man he shot while away at war out of his mind. Another great example of the songwriting skills presented on this album is Cooley's "A Ghost To Most." With lines like "Talking tough is easy when it's other people's evil and you're judging what they do or don't believe," it's hard to argue that the song isn't great.

In regards to the North Mississippi Allstars and their album "Hernando," its a cross between their first album "Shake Hands With Shorty" and their last studio album "Electric Blue Watermelon." It still has a lot of the same Hill Country Blues sound from "Electric Blue Watermelon" but it fuses it with the rock from "Shake Hands With Shorty" to create a sound much more modern but with the same old school blues feel. Song's like the album opener "Shake" makes you want to stomp your feet while tracks like "I'd Love To Be A Hippy" has a distinct blues feel to it that reminds me of the legendary B.B. King. Did I mention I love the blues?

In the end all that really needs to be said is these are two great albums from two great bands. Jan. 22, 2008 is the greatest CD release date, EVER!