Album review : CROSS COUNTRY DRIVER – The New Truth

March 18th, 2023 by brianmc

Frontiers [Release date: 17.03.23]

Rob (Riverdogs) Lamothe’s new bluesy, country, earthy rock music band is called Cross Country Driver. It consists of only him, his son Zander on drums, and old friend James Harper on guitar.

An impressive guest list, Mike (Dream Theater) Mangini, Greg (Badlands) Chaisson, Jimmy (Wallflowers) Wallace and Dug (Kings X) Pinnick help the trio stoke up the fires, guaranteeing that the music of The New Truth just crackles and sizzles, occasionally lighting up the sky, as on the most engaging songs in the front half of the album, ‘Wild Child’ and ‘Traces Of The Truth’.

The fact that Lamothe is still going strong is in itself cause for celebration. Thankfully, he is not attempting to reinvent his didn’t-quite -make-it AOR past, instead we find him reconnecting with the foundation that underpinned his music over the years.

A classy confection that shows off the mature grain of Lamothe’s voice, a spirited, spiritual, soulful sound that can be powerful provocative (‘I Won’t Look Back’, ‘Risen’) or sometimes just refuses to take prisoners (‘Man With No Direction’, ‘Long Gone’).

These experienced, talented artists are blessed with an electrifying understanding of country / blues / rock dynamics.

The songs seem to develop organically, avoiding the verse, bridge chorus straitjacket that constrains much of today’s popular music.

It’s great to see Lamothe still writing and recording glorious stuff that still packs a considerable punch. *****

Review By Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)