''Mystery Road'' is the third studio album by the Hard Rock/Southern Rock band Drivin' N' Cryin', released on March 28, 1989, by

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

.Drivin' N Cryin' >> Mystery Road
Drivin' N Cryin' official website. Retrieved 25 October 2017. ''The Washington Post'' said the album "remains a classic of the genre".Deusner, Stephen M
Georgia on Their Minds: Drivin' N' Cryin, 'The Great American Bubble Factory'
''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' 29 September 2009. Retrieved 25 October 2017

Overview

Originally,

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

guitarist

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) 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 car ...

, 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 be the producer.Mystery Road
The Recoup. Retrieved 25 October 2017. ''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.".Harris, Vincent
Drivin' N Cryin' brings guitarist Warner Hodges along for their three-decade ride
''

Charleston City Paper This is a list of newspapers in South Carolina, United States. Current news publications The following is a list of current (print and web-based) news publications published in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Defunct 18th century Charlesto ...

'' 28 July 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2017 "Straight to Hell" is the band's most well-known song.Tucker, Brian
Since ’85, Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ has been honing its identity
''StarNews'' 14 December 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2017 Singer/guitarist Kevn Kinney said of the song: "Honeysuckle Blue" was a "gorgeous Southern rock ballad that sounded like it should have been a big hit". Kinney recalled it was On October 6, 2017, ''Mystery Road'' was reissued with the original

demos as bonus tracks.Drivin' N Cryin' >> Mystery Road Reissue
Drivin' N Cryin' official website. Retrieved 25 October 2017.

Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...

's fifth album ''

When Was the Last Time ''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. Content " If I Told You" was released as the ...

'' was released October 20, 2017 and featured a cover of "Straight to Hell" with guests

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...

Luke Bryan Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter, and television personality. He began his music career writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before signing with Capitol Reco ...

, and

Charles Kelley Charles Burgess Kelley (born September 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and lead singer and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which was formed in 2006 and are signed to Big Machine Records. Early life and career Kelle ...

. 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".Casey, Jim
Darius Rucker’s New Album Features a Collaboration With Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean & Charles Kelley on “Straight to Hell”
''Nash Country Daily'' 26 September 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017

Reception

Denise Sullivan of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called ''Mystery Road'' the "least memorable record in the Drivin' n' Cryin' canon". ''Red Dirt Reports 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".

Track listing

Personnel

The following people contributed to ''Mystery Road:''Mystery Road – Credits

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved 25 October 2017

Drivin' N Cryin'

* Kevn Kinney – lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars * Buren Fowler – guitars, Dobro * Tim Nielsen – bass, backing vocals, percussion * Jeff Sullivan – drums, backing vocals, percussion

Additional personnel

* Scott MacPherson – acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar * Edd Miller – banjo * Randy DeLay – drums *

– electric dulcimer * Mikel Kinney – fiddle * Gary Nielsen – Hammond B-3 organ * Michelle Malone – vocals * Kevn Kinney, Scott MacPherson, Tim Nielsen – Producer * Dan Vaganek, Edd Miller – Assistant Engineer * Scott MacPherson – Recorder, Mixer * Norma Kinney – Paintings

References

External links

''Mystery Road'' page on Drivin' N Cryin's official website
{{Authority control 1989 albums Island Records albums Drivin N Cryin albums