Smoke

Reuniting with producer Geoff Workman following the commercial breakthrough of Fly Me Courageous, Drivin N Cryin returned to the studio to record Smoke—this time at Triclops Sound Studios in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, rather than in Memphis. The decision to record at home reflected the band’s desire to capture their sound on their own terms, and Sullivan’s drumming was again central to the album’s identity.

Sullivan received co-writing credits on eleven of the album’s twelve tracks (the sole exception being track 9, credited to Kinney alone), reflecting his deep involvement in the band’s creative process. The album credits specifically note Sullivan’s use of Drum Workshop drums and Vic Firth sticks—the first time his equipment endorsements were documented on a Drivin N Cryin release.

Smoke doubled down on the hard-rock approach of its predecessor, with Sullivan delivering aggressive, arena-ready performances. The album was mixed by Ron St. Germain at Right Track Recording in New York and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk—both top-tier industry professionals. Two tracks, “Turn It Up or Turn It Off” (dedicated to Robin Tyner and the MC5) and the title cut, entered the Modern Rock charts. The album also included a hidden track, “Can’t Fall Off the Mountain,” buried after thirty seconds of silence following the final listed track.

Despite a strong commercial start, Smoke failed to match the sales trajectory of Fly Me Courageous. The album peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard 200. By 1993, the post-grunge landscape had shifted the industry’s attention, and Drivin N Cryin’s hard-rock sound was increasingly out of step with the flannel-clad aesthetic favored by labels and MTV. The album’s credits note thanks to the “Fly Me Courageous Road Crew,” suggesting the exhaustive touring from the previous album cycle directly informed the sessions. Island Records, which had been sold to Polygram Label Group, offered diminishing support, and by the end of the year, the band and the label had mutually parted ways.