If there's anything a true honky tonk man loves more than cold beer with a pretty gal on a Saturday night, it's driving trucks -- big rigs and 18-wheelers, mind you, not the pickups favored by bro-country types -- and never let it be said that
Dale Watson
is anything less than a true honky tonk man.
The Truckin' Sessions, Vol. 3
is
Watson
's third album in which he makes like
Dave Dudley
and
Red Simpson
, spinning tales of the joys and sorrows of life behind the steering wheel as the endless grey ribbon spins by. There's no question that
is a serious fan of truck driving country, and he sings his stories with the cocky elan of the masters, damning traffic jams and breakdowns, praising friendly gas station attendants and gear-jamming lady truckers, mourning the armadillos that didn't quite cross the road, and even finding love on the highway as a driver and his wife make a life together in their rig.
's Bakersfield-style sound and deep, resonant voice fit these tunes just right, and his band
the Lone Stars
sound like they should be blaring out of an 8-track in a Peterbilt rolling down Route 66, which is to say they're just about perfect. There may be a significant portion of nostalgia in
's trucking tunes, but he throws in just enough GPS and ambient sensors to remind us this is the 21st century, and the pursuit of a good cup of coffee is, of course, timeless.
is a must for
fans, and anyone who likes big trucks and the folks who drive them will find this deserves an honored place in their vehicle's sound system. [
was first released in 2014 as part of the box set
The Truckin' Sessions Trilogy
, and was given a stand-alone release in 2015.] ~ Mark Deming