Drivin N Cryin Crushing Flowers
Good rock bands don’t stay trapped in amber, but they can go dormant (in your life, even if not in theirs) for a little while. I still remember zipping around Denver at age 20, running errands for a law firm, listening to songs like “Fly Me Courageous” on heavy rotation while probably deciding I didn’t want to be a lawyer when I grew up. 35 years later, that band, Drivin N Cryin, has rejoined me (them – still making music; me – still not a lawyer) in similar spots in 2026 – aging while watching those we love age even faster. That leads to the theme found across the band’s latest release, Crushing Flowers – slowing down is OK, but don’t stop moving.
Bandleader and songwriter Kevn Kinney has assembled the core of the nearly forty-year-old band (bassist Tim Nielsen and drummer Dave Johnson) for a collection of stripped-down, growling rockers. The album’s second single, “Why Don’t You Go Around,” is nominally a snide survival tale centered around traffic in the band’s hometown of Atlanta, but it also finds Kinney, for a long time wary of others nicking his style – “Instead of drafting me/You got to find your own rhythm/You got to find your own speed” – before realizing he’s got his lane, and others need to find comfort in theirs – “You gotta tell your own story/Kind of simple that way.” It’s not a competition (unlike Atlanta’s roadways) – in music, you learn from your elders and your peers, then do your own thing. And the “elders” on Crushing Flowers include a couple of the best – R.E.M.’s Peter Buck sits in on guitar for a couple of tunes, and the late Todd Snider, in one of his final appearances, sings the last verse on album capper “Iggy Monkey.”
One another famous facet of Drivin N Cryin – their rotating cast of ace guitar players. Luminaries like Aaron Lee Tasjan and Laur Joamets (Sturgill Simpson/Johnnie Blue Skies) have played with the band at times, but Crushing Flowers’ producer is doing double duty here – Sadler Vaden also played with Drivin N Cryin before joining the 400 Unit, and he joins the band on the other side of the glass to provide several of the album’s riffy-est moments, including the extended coda on the album’s title track, as well as adding some AC/DC-ish stomp to “Looks Like We’re Back Again.”
It’s Kinney’s songwriting, though, that centers the album. That refusal to stop living comes through most clearly on “Dead End Road,” an acoustic-led wanderer that won’t allow quitting, even as mortality becomes undeniable – “There’s no such thing as a dead end road/Maybe on a map/But not in my soul.” But it’s the album’s lead track, “Mirror Mirror,” that cuts deepest. The bluesy midtempo number describes what a lot of us middle-aged types are dealing with – the disappearance, via dementia, of a parent – “I know you’re in there somewhere/The echo in your eyes/Yesterdays are living/Clear and so alive.” And, at a certain point, it’s typical to wonder if this disease will come looking for you – “I know you’re in there somewhere/Looking for this song.” It’s normal, the decay that comes with the passage in time, but it doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking. But Kinney’s advice might be what works best – keep moving. You can’t outrun it forever, but you can keep it at a distance for a little while longer.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Come On And Dance” – This shout-out to get-movin’ music across eras includes boogie piano from Vaden, and it all takes place under “a Spencer Gift disco light ready to go.” Retro vibes for all.
Crushing Flowers was produced by Sadler Vaden and recorded and mixed by Owen Lewis. Songs written by Kevn Kinney and arranged by Drivin N Cryin with Sadler Vaden. Drivin N Cryin is Kinney (vocals, guitar), Tim Nielsen (bass, guitar, mandolin, backing vocals) and Dave V Johnson (drums, backing vocals). Additional musicians on the album include Vaden (guitars, keyboards), Peter Buck (guitar on “Crushing Flowers” and “Mirror Mirror” ) and Todd Snider (lead vocals on “Iggy Monkey”).
Go here to order/stream Crushing Flowers (out April 10): https://www.merchmountain.com/collections/drivin-n-cryin
https://orcd.co/crushingflowers
Check out tour dates here: https://www.drivinncryin.com/tour
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Drivin N Cryin’ “Live the Love Beautiful” is Timeless Must-Have