| Mystery Road | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 28, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 in Soundscape Studios, Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| Genre | Southern Rock, Hard Rock | |||
| Length | 42:06 | |||
| Label | Island | |||
| Producer | Scott McPherson/Kevn Kinney/Tim Nielsen | |||
| Drivin' N' Cryin' chronology | ||||
| ||||
Mystery Road is the third studio album by hard/Southern rock band Drivin' N' Cryin', released on March 28, 1989, by Island Records. [1] The Washington Post said the album "remains a classic of the genre." [2]
Originally, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, a friend of the band, was going to produce the album, and they recorded demos together. However, Island Records refused and chose Scott McPherson to produce. [3]
Mystery Road "is like a map of late-'80s college radio, wandering from folky protest songs to crunch-heavy hard rock to warm, pseudo-country rock, with a little punk thrown in for good measure.". [4]
"Straight to Hell" is the band's most well-known song. [5] Singer/guitarist Kevn Kinney said of the song:
It's just about a latchkey kid whose mother is dating and they have different rules. It's got a little bit of 'Romeo and Juliet' to it, but it's mostly about my sister's life, but it's also about everybody's life, that's why I think people identify so much with it. [6]
"Honeysuckle Blue" was a "gorgeous Southern rock ballad that sounded like it should have been a big hit." [3] Kinney recalled it was
a true story about a kid I saw outside the studio in New York begging on the streets. There was a time in the '80s when there were a lot of hotels where teenagers were squatting at. I was just wondering if he'd ever seen a mountain, you know? [6]
On October 6, 2017, Mystery Road was reissued with the original Peter Buck demos as bonus tracks. [7]
Darius Rucker's fifth album When Was the Last Time was released October 20, 2017 and featured a cover of "Straight to Hell" with guests Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Charles Kelley. Darius said the song "was huge in my day—when it was played in the bar, every single person in the bar was singing and hugging their best friend." [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| Red Dirt Report | [10] |
Denise Sullivan of AllMusic called Mystery Road the "least memorable record in the Drivin' n' Cryin' canon". [9] Red Dirt Report's Andrew W. Griffin wrote of the reissue that "this new rerelease of a 28-year old album from Drivin' N' Cryin' is refreshing, primarily because we get to hear a band really starting to take off and become the band that refuses to throw in the towel all these years later". [10]
All tracks are written by Drivin' N' Cryin'
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't it Strange" | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Toy Never Played With" | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Honeysuckle Blue" | 4:50 |
| 4. | "With the People" | 3:37 |
| 5. | "Wild Dog Moon" | 5:23 |
| 6. | "House for Sale" | 3:16 |
| 7. | "Peacemaker" | 3:14 |
| 8. | "You Don't Know me" | 3:34 |
| 9. | "Malfunction Junction" | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Straight to Hell" | 5:36 |
| 11. | "Syllables" | 1:24 |
The following people contributed to Mystery Road: [11]
The Jayhawks are an American alternative country and country rock band that emerged from the Twin Cities music scene in the mid-1980s. Led by vocalists/guitarists/songwriters Gary Louris and Mark Olson, their country rock sound was influential on many bands who played the Twin Cities circuit during the 1980s and 1990s, such as Uncle Tupelo, the Gear Daddies and the Honeydogs. They have released eleven studio albums, with and without Olson, including five on the American Recordings label. After going on hiatus from 2005 to 2009, the 1995 lineup of the band reunited and released the album Mockingbird Time in September 2011; Olson left the band for the second time after the tour to promote the album. After another hiatus in 2013, the 1997 lineup led by Louris reunited to play shows in 2014 to support the reissue of three albums originally released between 1997 and 2003. Since then, the band has continued to tour and record, releasing the albums Live at The Belly Up in 2015; Paging Mr. Proust, co-produced by Peter Buck, in 2016; Back Roads and Abandoned Motels in 2018; and XOXO in 2020.
Peter Lawrence Buck is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his career with R.E.M. (1980–2011), as well as during his subsequent solo career, Buck has also been at various times an official member of numerous 'side project' groups. These groups included Arthur Buck, Hindu Love Gods, The Minus 5, Tuatara, The Baseball Project, Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3, Tired Pony, The No-Ones, and Filthy Friends, each of which have released at least one full-length studio album. Additionally, the experimental combo Slow Music have released an official live concert CD. Another side project group called Full Time Men released an EP while Buck was a member. As well, ad hoc "supergroups" Bingo Hand Job, Musical Kings and Nigel & The Crosses have each commercially released one track.
The Golden Palominos were an American musical group headed by drummer, producer, arranger and composer Anton Fier, first formed in 1981. Aside from Fier, the Palominos membership has been wildly elastic, with only bassist Bill Laswell and guitarist Nicky Skopelitis appearing on every album through 1996. Their final work, 2012's A Good Country Mile features vocalist Kevn Kinney. The band's early work developed out of the No Wave scene, but later branched out into alternative rock, country rock and electronic music.
The Minus 5 is an American pop rock band headed by musician Scott McCaughey of Young Fresh Fellows, often in partnership with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.
Drivin N Cryin is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
James van Buren Fowler was an American rock and roll and blues guitar player from Atlanta, Georgia. He was the lead guitarist for Southern rock band Drivin' n' Cryin' from 1988 to 1993, and had previously toured with R.E.M.
Bruce Hampton was an American musician. He was a key figure in the Atlanta, Georgia music scene, mentoring numerous other musicians who became national stars. His own musical style was avant-garde, combining elements of jazz, fusion, southern rock and jam band styles.
Carnegie Hall Concert is a 1966 album by the Country band Buck Owens and his Buckaroos. The album was recorded live at Carnegie Hall, as Buck Owens and his Buckaroos became the second country band ever to perform there.
Drive is the eleventh studio album by American country music artist Steve Wariner. It was released on July 27, 1993, via Arista Nashville. The album produced four chart singles on the Billboard country charts in "If I Didn't Love You" at number 8, "Drivin' and Cryin'" at number 24, "It Won't Be over You" at number 18, and the title track at number 63.
The Great American Bubble Factory is the eighth full studio album from Southern rock group Drivin N Cryin. Released on September 29, 2009 on Vintage Earth records, it was the band's first studio album in 12 years. Three of the album's songs, "Midwestern Blues," "Pre-Approved, Pre-Denied" and "This Town" had previously appeared on Kevn Kinney solo albums.
Fly Me Courageous is the fourth studio album by the hard rock/Southern rock band Drivin' N' Cryin', released on January 8, 1991, by Island Records. The album is the band's most commercially successful release, in part due to the title track striking a patriotic chord in the United States during the start of the Persian Gulf War. In 1995, Fly Me Courageous was certified gold.
Shelly Warren Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her song 'Holding Steady' was featured in the 2008 Feature Film, The Lucky Ones with Tim Robbins and Rachel McAdams. Her debut album, "Up the Hickory Down the Pine" will be released in May 2012.
Kevin Kinney, known professionally as Kevn Kinney, is an American vocalist and guitarist, best known as lead singer and guitarist of rock band Drivin N Cryin.
Aaron Lee Tasjan is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer.
Filthy Friends is an alt-rock supergroup based in Portland, Oregon. The band is fronted by Corin Tucker and guitarist Peter Buck. The other members of the band include alumni from bands such as the Minus 5, King Crimson, The Baseball Project and Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3.
When Was the Last Time is the seventh studio album and fifth in the country genre by American country music singer Darius Rucker. It was released on Capitol Records Nashville on October 20, 2017.
"Straight to Hell" is a song by American Southern rock band Drivin N Cryin, from their 1989 album, Mystery Road. In 2014, a cover version appeared as the last track on the album Cherlene, an Archer tie-in sung by Jessy Lynn Martens as fictional character Cheryl Tunt. In 2018, American country music singer Darius Rucker released a cover version as the third single from his album When Was the Last Time.
MacDougal Blues is the debut solo album from Drivin N Cryin vocalist Kevn Kinney, released on Island Records in 1990. The album received positive reviews.
Wrapped in Sky is an album by the American rock band Drivin N Cryin, released in 1995. The album marked a return to the band's earlier, folkier sound.
Whisper Tames the Lion is the second album by the American band Drivin' n' Cryin', released in 1988. "Powerhouse" was released as single. The band supported the album with a North American tour. The album peaked at No. 130 on the Billboard 200. It sold more than 70,000 copies in its first year of release.
