The days when an artist like Red Sovine or C.W. McCall could base an entire career on truck-driving songs may be long gone, but that certainly doesn’t mean that the culture of the long haul has disappeared—or that the people who are a part of it don’t deserve to hear their story told. Aaron’s collection of trucker-themed cover versions is a welcome revival of a subgenre that was once a major part of country music. It also happens to be a truckload of fun.
Jerry Reed’s hard-driving “East Bound and Down” opens In Overdrive and sets the tone—the track list here is focused on fast, funny tunes that celebrate the freedom and dedication in the trucking life rather than its downsides. The only sour note is the inclusion as a tacked-on bonus track of “Drill Here, Drill Now,” which plays like a particularly awkward relic of last year’s presidential campaign. It’s a disappointing end to an otherwise satisfying trip.