ATO

Patterson Hood has never been one to limit himself to autobiography in the songs that he writes for the Drive-By Truckers, which has left him free to tell visceral, haunting stories without worrying about how far they range from his life. Being that Heat Lightning Rumbles in the Distance is a solo album – his third – the rules are different. He’s said that it started as a companion piece to a memoir-ish manuscript, and then the songs became the primary focus. The spoken track “(untold pretties)” clearly displays those literary roots as the lyrics form a string of crisp, ruminative scenes. Hood sings the rest of the songs, which span the divide between his wild and reckless early years and his comparatively stable existence as a touring family man – and he does this without the shield of aggressive guitar riffs. Musically, too, this is a vulnerable album. It’s roots rock that gets much of its texture from fiddle, piano and acoustic guitar and leaves Hood exposed at the center – a proven singer-songwriter who still has new sides to reveal.