If there's anything a true honky tonk man loves more than cold beer with a pretty gal on a Saturday night, it's driving trucks -- big rigs and 18-wheelers, mind you, not the pickups favored by bro-country types -- and never let it be said that
Dale Watson is anything less than a true honky tonk man.
The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 3 is
Watson's third album in which he makes like
Dave Dudley and
Red Simpson, spinning tales of the joys and sorrows of life behind the steering wheel as the endless grey ribbon spins by. There's no question that
Watson is a serious fan of truck driving country, and he sings his stories with the cocky elan of the masters, damning traffic jams and breakdowns, praising friendly gas station attendants and gear-jamming lady truckers, mourning the armadillos that didn't quite cross the road, and even finding love on the highway as a driver and his wife make a life together in their rig.
Watson's Bakersfield-style sound and deep, resonant voice fit these tunes just right, and his band the Lone Stars sound like they should be blaring out of an 8-track in a Peterbilt rolling down Route 66, which is to say they're just about perfect. There may be a significant portion of nostalgia in
Watson's trucking tunes, but he throws in just enough GPS and ambient sensors to remind us this is the 21st century, and the pursuit of a good cup of coffee is, of course, timeless.
The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 3 is a must for
Dale Watson fans, and anyone who likes big trucks and the folks who drive them will find this deserves an honored place in their vehicle's sound system. [
The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 3 was first released in 2014 as part of the box set The Truckin' Sessions Trilogy, and was given a stand-alone release in 2015.] ~ Mark Deming