The SteelDrivers have always managed to live up to the tough-as-nails image implied by their handle. Their’s is a rocksteady sound that’s both determined and decisive. Now, with their debut album for the iconic and recently revived Sun Records label, they deliver the same sturdy sound, one that leverages the essential elements of bluegrass with the hard-rocking, freewheeling approach they’ve been known for over the course of a 20 year career. An elite ensemble, the members — Richard Bailey (banjo), Tammy Rogers (fiddle), Mike Fleming (bass), Brent Truitt (mandolin), and Matt Dame (lead vocals, guitar) — have distinguished themselves with four Grammy nominations, the Americana Music Association’s New Artist of the Year award and IBMA’s 2009 Emerging Artist of The Year distinction. In 2015, the band crowned their achievements by winning the Grammy award for Best Bluegrass Recording, courtesy of their exceptional album, The Muscle Shoals Recordings.
Not that the band hasn’t had its share of ups and downs. It has. Singer and guitarist Chris Stapleton, an integral member of the early line-up, departed in 2010, ostensively to spend more time with his family only to later embark on a successful solo career. Mandolin player Mike Henderson left shortly thereafter, and yet after he passed away in 2023, his memory is still maintained within the spirit of these current songs and specifically within those that he wrote, the sobering Prisoner’s Tears and the seemingly celebratory, Painter and Poison.
With Dame recently installed as the band’s new lead singer, it appears the band is solid and stable. Outrun is as tough and tenacious as the title implies, a stirring set of songs that sustains the grit and gravitas the band’s always managed to maintain with each of their outings. And indeed, with albums that were auspiciously dubbed Reckless, Hammer Down, Bad For You, and Tougher Than Nails, they clearly have a lot to live up to.
Happily, they succeed. The new album is dominated by tales about outlaws and outcasts, loners and losers, all of whom are forced to deal with their hard-luck circumstance. The steady stride given the title track, the foreboding sound of The River Knows, and the rugged resolve of Booze and Cigarettes and Cut You Down reflect the inherent trouble and trauma. The rambling Trouble Blues sums up those scenarios succinctly, its sense of foreboding a reflection of a decidedly downcast disposition overall.
But Outrun isn’t fueled only by despair and disappointment. You Should See the Other Guy celebrates a victory over an unsavory adversary, while Emma Lee paints its protagonist as a long-suffering partner in an unstable relationship who finally gets the justice he deserves. On My Way is a song built around an unwavering quest to overcome a past filled with “broken dreams and promises.”
At a time when darkness and despair seem to be the rule of the day, these nuanced narratives suggest today’s struggles aren’t our’s alone. In that regard, credit the SteelDrivers for providing a measure of clarity and comfort.
