In the course of three excellent studio albums, Alabama's Drive-By Truckers have updated Lynyrd Skynyrd's legacy for a new generation of Southerners; the band's songs are for lovable fuck-ups who get fired from shitty jobs, then drink an entire bottle of Jack Daniel's and puke in their girlfriend's bushes. The leaner, softer Decoration Day finds the Truckers ditching the three-guitar rave-ups and concept-album narratives of 2001's Southern Rock Opera in favor of tuneful evocations of the darker side of Southern life. With fellow songwriters Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell chipping in more than ever, the gruff-voiced Patterson Hood sings songs that could alternately rock a barroom or bring a tear to your eye at 3 a.m. "I know your daddy hates me," Hood sings. "I'd probably hate me, too." His whiskey-soaked self-pity still makes for the best new-school Southern rock you can buy. (CHRISTIAN HOARD)

The High Strung These Are Good Times (Tee Pee)

The Detroit-born quartet High Strung have a gift for nervy, agitated melodies that get under your skin as much as they make you hum along. There's a vague discomfort about life in general on These Are Good Times, but it's expressed in a joyful, uptight, cymbal-bashing sound that borrows as much from the Motor City's recent garage-rock scene as from the Beatles, whose "She Said, She Said" is riff-checked in "Throwaway." The New Wave revival has produced its first acolytes who love life as much as it drives them crazy. Isn't that why people write songs, anyway? (BEN SISARIO)

Boyd Tinsley True Reflections (Bama Rags/RCA)

As the violinist for the Dave Matthews Band, Boyd Tinsley is a crucial piece of nearly every hit song in the band's repertoire -- but he isn't able to translate DMB's strength into his solo debut. Tinsley's violin is surprisingly absent on most tracks, but his voice flutters over every song. And while his vocals maintain a certain homey quality, they reflect a style like Aimee Mann's: always just off-key. Unlike Mann's, however, Tinsley's lyrics sound ripped out of a high schooler's poetry notebook: "All I know is that you're the one for me, always and forever," he sings on the opener "It's Alright." And over the next ten tracks, the lyrics don't reach much further. Tinsley's guest list is impressive, including backing vocals by Lisa Germano and Toshi Reagon, and a guest spot from Doyle Bramhall II. But aside from a simmering version of Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl," and the richness that Matthews and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band add to the title track, Tinsley's debut falls short of even minimal scrutiny. (ANDREW STRICKMAN)

Woven 8 Bit Monk (Interscope)

If Jane's Addiction and Faith No More taught us anything, it's that competent musicians can mix any style of music together. It's a lesson the six guys in Woven have obviously taken to heart, as their full-length debut finds them playing with a laundry list of musical genres. "Pillage" sets the stage with its liberal use of sitar-sounding effects, Blind Melon-ish jam rock, spacey electronica, and lofty prog-rock vocals. While Radiohead, the Cure and Pink Floyd (circa Meddle) are obvious influences here, listeners will also hear remnants of Curve, Peter Gabriel's soundtrack work, world music rhythms, Massive Attack and hip-hop. Such eclecticism can collapse messily, but Woven use it cautiously, giving 8 Bit Monk a cohesive, albeit mellow, tone, and making Monk a worthy ride. (PAUL SEMEL)

Bleu Redhead (Aware)

Bleu (born William James McAuley III) has just stepped into the world of BIG rock. After introducing himself with the sonically spacey Headroom, the Boston-based singer signed on with producer John Fields (Andrew WK) to up the aggression for Redhead, re-recording several cuts from his debut and adding "Somebody Else" from the Spider-Man soundtrack. The wall-to-wall guitars and massive backing vocals turn Bleu's modest pop songs into anthems that shoot through the arena rock roof. Previous comparisons to Ben Folds Five are far too tame for the whiplash rhythm attack of "Get Up," or the operatic reach of "We'll Do It All Again." Modest moments also peek out, such as the neo-soul groove of "You Know, I Know, You," but this is one performer looking to take it to the grand stage with lighter in hand. (ROB O'CONNOR)

Moneen Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now? (Vagrant)

The fact that Moneen take their name from (according to the press notes) "a beautiful French girl" serves as a pretty good summary of both the Canadian band's music and the emo tradition it seeks to uphold. For all the aggressive guitar work and the tortured vocals of frontman Kenny Bridges -- who sometimes sounds like he's singing around a throat full of rusty nails -- at the heart of Moneen's music lurks the kind of angst and regret that come from longing for the unattainable. Are We Really Happy . . . is a solid if sometimes overwrought piece of work; it's the quieter moments, rather than the swaggering trajectories, that stand out. Case in point is the album's last track, "The Last Song I Will Ever Want to Sing." Nine minutes long and permeated with dreamy, pensive guitar work and lyrics like "I'm left with sadness/sitting here watching you melt away," it provides a lingering glimpse of a band trusting its instincts and, in the best way possible, letting it all hang out. (REBECCA MARX)

(June 16, 2003)