If
AC/DC was from Georgia and listed
Hank Williams as one of their influences, they would sound like
Drivin' n' Cryin'.
Kevn Kinney and company deliver the goods on their first attempt at the dead art form called the live album, The Essential Live Drivin' n' Cryin'. While most artists release a live record as an easy way to fulfill a contractual obligation, this recording reflects real thought.
Drivin' n' Cryin's power and
Kevn Kinney's compassion were easily lost in many of their major-label releases. This first release on their own imprint reintroduces the band's music as hard rock with content. The prose that
Kinney uses to introduce songs like "Indian Song" and "Peacemaker" contribute to the overall atmosphere the recording produces. In the tradition of Frampton Comes Alive and
Cheap Trick's Live at Budokan,
Drivin' n' Cryin's The Essential Live makes one want to go see live music again.
Kinney whines and wails his way through each song like it may be his last, and isn't that the way a rock show should be? A little sloppy, a little too loud, and a little preachy. Leave the perfection for Top 40. Although the train that fellow Georgia bands like REM and
the Black Crowes rode to fame left without
Drivin' n' Cryin', they still provide some of the best examples of modern Southern rock. ~ Michael Cusanelli