Drive (CD - 2002)

Personnel includes: Alan Jackson (vocals, acoustic guitar); Bruce Watkins (acoustic guitar, banjo); Brent Mason, J.T. Corenflos (electric guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Jim Hoke (harmonica); Gordon Mote (piano, keyboards); John Kelton (Tictac bass); John Wesley Ryles, Wes Hightower (background vocals); Vince Gill.

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)" won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Country Song.

DRIVE was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Country Album. "Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Song Of The Year and Best Male Country Vocal Performance..

Personnel: Alan Jackson (acoustic guitar); Danny Groah (guitar); Bruce Watkins (acoustic guitar, banjo); Tony Stephens, Tom Rutledge (acoustic guitar); J.T. Corenflos, Brent Mason (electric guitar); Robbie Flint, Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Mark McClurg (fiddle); Jim Hoke (harmonica); Gordon Mote (piano, keyboards); Monty Parkey (piano); Bruce Rutherford, Eddie Bayers (drums); Irene Kelley, John Wesley Ryles, Wes Hightower (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: John Kelton.

Recording information: Cartee Day Studio; Manta Sound, Toronto, Canada; Sound Station, Nashville, TN; Tracking Room; Wedgewood Studio.

Introduction by: Vince Gill.

Photographer: John Russell .

The odd thing about Drive is that its centerpiece and its emotional fulcrum is a song that was likely one of the last recorded for the record. That song, of course, is "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson's attempt to capture the hurt, pain, confusion, and overwhelming sadness caused by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The song works because Jackson keeps his sights simple as he conveys the bewilderment and sadness of the average American in the days after the attack, sketching the little things that people did to just get through the hours or how time just stopped cold. Given the enormity of the subject -- it's simply not something that can be summarized in song -- it's a surprisingly effective and moving tune, something that signals that Jackson is indeed in the forefront of the country singers of his time because it plays to his strengths: it's within the tradition of classic country and delivered simply, but with the vernacular and production of the modern day. And that's why even if it was a last-minute addition to the record, it fits so well into a typically strong collection of material from Jackson -- musically, it fits perfectly among these heartache ballads and mid-tempo honky tonkers, but it also gives it significant emotional weight. It, in effect, acts as the anchor for the rest of the album, lending songs that are very good genre pieces -- whether it's outside material like the excellent, poppy "A Little Bluer Than That" or original material -- extra weight. The great thing is that Drive doesn't really need it, since it's filled with top-notch songs, including the great George Strait duet "Designated Drinker" and "Drive," a tribute to his dad that's nearly as affecting in its own way as "Where Were You." This is not a total shock, since Jackson's track record is one of the strongest in '90s country, but nevertheless a record this solidly crafted and emotionally resonant is a welcome event all the same. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The obvious talking point on Alan Jackson's hugely successful DRIVE is "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," a song written in response to the September 11 attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Its refreshing lack of gung-ho patriotism and focus on small details ("Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'/And turn on I Love Lucy reruns") is a hallmark of Jackson's songwriting, which is adept at finding a telling detail to highlight a bigger truth.

Elsewhere, in the best country tradition, "The Sounds" is a familiar tale of heartbreak freshly told, while "Work in Progress" is a catalog of a redneck doofus's unwitting transgressions that'll find an echo in many male listeners. "Designated Drinker," a duet with George Strait, is another in a seemingly inexhaustible line of country drinking songs. Appropriately for an album named DRIVE, two automobile-related songs bookend the set. The title track is about Jackson's first boat and car, while "First Love," in the tradition of NRBQ's "Little Floater" and Neil Young's "Long May You Run," is also about a much-loved vehicle that should be food for thought for women everywhere. minimize