Last Thursday here in Charlotte I met a guy who claimed to have seen the band about 115 times, which blew my mind.

Here's two photos, with more here:

So is the new album better than the last one, or more of just going through the motions?

Yeah, I definitely recognized Flying Rabbit by his beard. Pretty hard to miss.

I'm not as big on this new album as I am on most of their other stuff. The first three tracks are fantastic, as is "After the Scene Dies" -- on par with any of their best work. The other nine tracks don't really do it for me though. I don't dislike any of them and Shonna's tracks are certainly better than on the last album, but they just don't hit me like I'm used to Drive-By Truckers songs hitting me.

Man, I guess I'm in the minority here but I think "Brighter Than Creation's Dark" is their finest work to date. Top to bottom. (haven't listened to the new one yet) Been following them since "Pizza Deliverance" so I don't come to that conclusion lightly.

I think Shonna's songs are great. Not sure what people's issue with them is. I think she's rough around the edges and is a perfect fit for this band. I think if she had the pipes of some super country diva it wouldn't work as well.

Nah, my wife and I were actually discussing this on the ride home. I agree. Top to bottom (despite its length) I can listen to every song and not feel tired...ok, "Bob" gets a little old...but, its fun.

Shonna definitely gets a bad rap from a lot of their audience. There were a lot of people whenever she would sing that would just start saying "awww, don't let her sing". Her singing has gotten better each time I've seen her, so no complaints. Plus, its like 1 or 2 songs a night or on a record. Nothing to get hot about.

Best since The Dirty South.

Thanks.

I agree. Something's missing in a lot of these songs.