Southern Rock Opera
by Drive-By Truckers
Metascore
86

Universal acclaim - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
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  1. Neumu.net
    Dec 14, 2011
    90
    One of funniest, smartest, truest, saddest and flat-out rockingest (in the very best way) albums I've heard in a very long time.
  2. AllMusic
    Dec 14, 2011
    90
    Southern Rock Opera should be required listening not only for fans of the genre, but anyone interested in the history of '70s rock, or even the history of the South in that decade.
  3. PopMatters
    Dec 14, 2011
    80
    Southern Rock Opera is a complex work, a cohesive text that functions as a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story; as an exploration of cultural issues that have defined the South; as an autobiography of the Drive-by Truckers; and as a reclaiming of Lynyrd Skynyrd's legend and music.
  5. Dusted Magazine
    Dec 14, 2011
    80
    Sure the whole Southern Rock Opera concept is a bit over-the-top, and a two-disc set will always contain its fair share of duds, but the Drive-By Truckers have succeeded in making an album that is as good a historical reference as it is for air-guitar.
  6. Chicago Tribune
    Dec 16, 2011
    70
    "Southern Rock Opera" is the kind of record most bands don't have in them.

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Ricko
    Jun 15, 2020
    7
    This is a hugely ambitious undertaking for band and listener. The details behind the concept format are interesting and it's quite novel for aThis is a hugely ambitious undertaking for band and listener. The details behind the concept format are interesting and it's quite novel for a band to make a double album so explicitly about another band. Drive-by Truckers do an admiral job of telling the story of Lynyrd Skynyrd over their own double album. The heavier rock numbers are great and when this album clicks it is superb but with 90 minutes playing time there is a bit of excess baggage to sift through. Could they have achieved their goal on a single disk 50 to 60 minutes album? I think so and it would have turned this solid Southern rock epic into a classic.… Full Review »
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