Go-Go Boots
by Drive-By Truckers
  • Record Label: ATO
  • Release Date: Feb 15, 2011
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Expert Witness (MSN Music)
    Feb 15, 2011
    91
    A song band and proud, they turn down the boogie so we're sure to get the lyrics, which except for the two Eddie Hintons are laid out as well in a booklet so handsome the habitual downloader may want one for himself (or herself, I wish).
  2. American Songwriter
    Mar 1, 2011
    90
    For folks new to the Truckers, intrigued but a little overwhelmed by their rather expansive catalog, this is the album to start with.
  3. The Boston Phoenix
    Mar 3, 2011
    88
    This ninth studio album finds long-timers Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley regaining their focus with their best set of narratives since 2006's A Blessing and a Curse.
  5. Billboard.com
    Mar 4, 2011
    83
    The 14-track set's distinguishing characteristic is a soul flavor of the Muscle Shoals variety, a smooth fit given the role of frontman Patterson Hood's father, David Hood, in that community as well as DBT's own work with Bettye LaVette and Booker T. Jones.
  6. Mojo
    Apr 6, 2011
    80
    Slowing down, but in no need of the hard shoulder. [March 2011, p. 97]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. No Ripcord
    Mar 30, 2011
    80
    At its worst, Go-Go Boots comes off sounding like Lynyrd Skynyrd. At its best, it stands as a testament to the unparalleled songwriting of Cooley and Hood and as a reminder of just how special this band can be.
  8. Beats Per Minute
    Mar 15, 2011
    80
    Take the strong songwriting, add the excellent production by David Barbe, and the tight and first rate playing, and you've got an album that truly showcases just how skilled and versatile the band is.
  9. Q Magazine
    Mar 1, 2011
    80
    Another slug of moonshine and a rootsy rock from the Georgia sextet. [March 2011, p. 108]
    All this publication's reviews
  10. BBC Music
    Feb 18, 2011
    80
    Go-Go Boots is one of the best examples yet of the separate yet complementary skills of the Truckers' three leaders, melding styles and switching moods but retaining an overall feel that's distinctly theirs.
  11. AllMusic
    Feb 16, 2011
    80
    If the music on Go-Go Boots is less physical than what the Drive-By Truckers typically deliver, it's emphatic and passionate, with an impressive sense of dynamics and as much soul as these folks have ever summoned in the studio -- they've rocked a lot harder, but they've never cut a more natural and telling groove.
  12. Uncut
    Feb 15, 2011
    80
    It's a rich, invigorating and mischievous affair and, for older fans, possibly their best since 2004's The Dirty South. [Mar 2011, p.87]
    All this publication's reviews
  13. The Independent (UK)
    Feb 14, 2011
    80
    Go-Go Boots is the promised "R&B Murder Ballad Album" recorded concurrently with last year's The Big To-Do, and it's every bit as good as that description suggests.
  14. The Guardian
    Feb 11, 2011
    80
    After nine albums, it's easy enough to get a handle on Drive-By Truckers: expect songs about lives turned sour; expect music that shuffles around the Deep South, incorporating elements of country, rock and southern soul.
  15. cokemachineglow
    Feb 28, 2011
    77
    The Drive-By Truckers remain a distinctly American band, a band whose stories are on equal footing with the music beneath.
  16. Pitchfork
    Feb 18, 2011
    77
    It's no reflection on him, but Go-Go Boots goes a long way to proving him wrong, suggesting a band that knows where all the bodies are buried.
  17. Chicago Tribune
    Feb 15, 2011
    75
    Patterson Hood's plaintive growl couldn't suit his songs better, and Mike Cooley adds a plainspoken twang.
  18. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Mar 22, 2011
    70
    Either way, we get what we always get: the analogue rendition of a stick of Southern yarns, long on observation, short of syllable and rough as your old boots.
  19. PopMatters
    Feb 17, 2011
    70
    With Hood's songwriting remaining this solid and the band comfortably settling into a great groove, Go-Go Boots could have been four years in the waiting and still would not have disappointed.
  20. Rolling Stone
    Feb 16, 2011
    70
    It's a slight shift from DBT's usual muscular alt-country, but the rest is familiar: great storytelling.
  21. Spin
    Feb 14, 2011
    70
    It's yet another trip to the part of town where you really shouldn't be, in a district the Truckers call home.
  22. Austin Chronicle
    Mar 3, 2011
    67
    Go-Go Boots shows a great band willing to try out new ideas and ultimately succeeding on its own terms, while The Secret to a Happy Ending illustrates how a group can nearly implode and then come together even stronger.
  23. Filter
    Mar 28, 2011
    66
    While not overwhelming or breathtaking, the slower pace and pure countrified nature of this latest release better suits the band's booze-soaked, Southern, small-town storytelling and captivates suitably for the running time.
  24. Under The Radar
    Mar 23, 2011
    60
    Any self-respecting DBT fan will enjoy this bluesy, grim and determined changeup. [Feb. 2011, p. 72]
    All this publication's reviews
  25. Consequence
    Feb 23, 2011
    50
    Despite the band's place in the alternative country/Southern rock movement, this album is still full of some yarns that should have never been woven.
  26. Slant Magazine
    Feb 14, 2011
    40
    Go-Go Boots aims for a soulful, introspective vibe, but it ends up as the dullest album in the Truckers's catalogue.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. jason76z
    Feb 16, 2012
    9
    A real change of pace album for DBT. I was worried at first but after sitting down and really digging into the album I found myself reallyA real change of pace album for DBT. I was worried at first but after sitting down and really digging into the album I found myself really enjoying Go-Go Boots. It's a refreshing change of pace that I enjoyed and to me it sounds like DBT really enjoyed making the album. A must buy for DBT fans.… Full Review »
  2. DaGuruDette
    Sep 29, 2011
    9
    This is actually my favorite album ever by them. I have been a diehard DBTs fan for about 10 years and seen them more times than I can countThis is actually my favorite album ever by them. I have been a diehard DBTs fan for about 10 years and seen them more times than I can count over the years as well. That being said I feel this is Patterson's finest hour lyrically and how his voice sounds on many of the songs such as Mercy Buckets, Used To Be a Cop and Everybody Needs Love. I have always been a Cooley guy over the years and still am overall. I feel his contributions are very solid due to the fact they are all three mellow and more country sounding. It is good the two lead vocalists are even throughout this album. It is an absolute crime shrimp is too much of a poser music fan to like these guys.… Full Review »
  3. drob
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    As a big fan of all things Trucker's, I was really dissapointed with this outing. I wasn't surprised to find out most of these songs wereAs a big fan of all things Trucker's, I was really dissapointed with this outing. I wasn't surprised to find out most of these songs were done around the same time as The Big To-Do. I'm assuming these didn't make the original cut. I can see why. Used To Be A Cop is a standout, but the rest are mediocre at best. After so many really great albums, I didn't think they were capable of a dud. Sadly I was wrong.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »