JASON ISBELL
''SOUTHEASTERN''
JUNE 11 2013
47:18
**********
1. Cover Me Up /4:54
2. Stockholm /2:51
3. Traveling Alone /4:29
4. Elephant /3:39
5. Flying over Water /4:00
6. Different Days /3:36
7. Live Oak /3:37
8. Songs That She Sang in the Shower /3:58
9. New South Wales /3:55
10. Super 8 /3:27
11. Yvette /4:30
12. Relatively Easy /4:45
All Tracks By Isbell
**********
Brian Allen/Bass
Dave Cobb/Percussion
Derry Deborja/Keyboards, Mellotron
Chad Gamble/Drums
Paul Griffith/Drums
Jason Isbell/Guitar, Vocals
Will Johnson/Vocals On 10
Kim Richey/Vocals On 2, 12
Amanda Shires/Fiddle, Vocals On 3
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
Jason Isbell was one of three first-class songwriters in the Drive-By Truckers, along with Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, and each of them had (and has) his own spin on the kind of raucous Southern soul-country that band specialized in. When Isbell left in 2007 to pursue a solo career, there was every reason to believe he would continue in the same vein. Instead, Isbell produced work that still had some Alabama country twang, but was really closer to the folky singer/songwriter side of the spectrum, full of graceful melodies with thoughtful and literate lyrics. On this outing, Isbell strips things back even more, going with, for the most part, sparse, moody arrangements and songs that muse on the responsibilities of his newfound sobriety, an atonement of sorts, and they tell of lost weekends, drinking mouthwash when the alcohol ran out, and other sordid personal tragedies, all with an eye to how it seems to work out when problems are embraced, addressed, and finally owned. As such, this is an ultimately positive set that doesn't pull punches. Highlights include the beautiful opening love song "Cover Me Up," the elegant and sort of baroque country-rocker "Stockholm," the blast-along "Super 8" (which wouldn't sound out of place on any of the Truckers albums), and the love ballad "Relatively Easy," which closes things out here. The overall tone of this fine set is one of quiet and thoughtful honesty with one's life and past and the knowledge that personal redemption has to be earned again and again each and every day. It is, quite frankly, Isbell's best solo album thus far.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
James Christopher Monger
After spending six years with Southern rock outfit Drive-By Truckers, singer/guitarist Jason Isbell left the group in 2007 to pursue a solo career. Isbell had already honed his songwriting skills during his tenure with the Truckers, and he funneled those talents into Sirens of the Ditch, a bluesy, punk-infused lesson in guitar tones and Southern swagger that marked his solo debut in summer 2007. Backed by a new band dubbed the 400 Unit, Isbell took his songs on the road and soon began penning another album, which he recorded with the 400 Unit in 2008. Released the following year, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit was another step away from his work with Drive-By Truckers, relying as much on sad, melancholic country ballads as the familiar Muscle Shoals sound.
After performing more than 200 shows annually for several years running, Isbell took a breather in 2010 and returned home to northern Alabama. The area had been hit hard by the recent economic downturn, prompting Isbell to write a new batch of songs about the war vets, barflies, and out-of-luck characters who populated the area. The result was Here We Rest, which was released in spring 2011 to critical acclaim. Isbell followed it a year later in 2012 with a live set, Live from Alabama, recorded at the WorkPlay Theater in Birmingham, Alabama and at the Crossroads in Huntsville, Alabama. Embracing his newfound sobriety, Isbell next produced an album of haunting atonement and redemption, the sparse and impressive Southeastern, which appeared in 2013.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''SOUTHEASTERN''
JUNE 11 2013
47:18
**********
1. Cover Me Up /4:54
2. Stockholm /2:51
3. Traveling Alone /4:29
4. Elephant /3:39
5. Flying over Water /4:00
6. Different Days /3:36
7. Live Oak /3:37
8. Songs That She Sang in the Shower /3:58
9. New South Wales /3:55
10. Super 8 /3:27
11. Yvette /4:30
12. Relatively Easy /4:45
All Tracks By Isbell
**********
Brian Allen/Bass
Dave Cobb/Percussion
Derry Deborja/Keyboards, Mellotron
Chad Gamble/Drums
Paul Griffith/Drums
Jason Isbell/Guitar, Vocals
Will Johnson/Vocals On 10
Kim Richey/Vocals On 2, 12
Amanda Shires/Fiddle, Vocals On 3
**********
REVIEW/AMG
Steve Leggett
Jason Isbell was one of three first-class songwriters in the Drive-By Truckers, along with Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, and each of them had (and has) his own spin on the kind of raucous Southern soul-country that band specialized in. When Isbell left in 2007 to pursue a solo career, there was every reason to believe he would continue in the same vein. Instead, Isbell produced work that still had some Alabama country twang, but was really closer to the folky singer/songwriter side of the spectrum, full of graceful melodies with thoughtful and literate lyrics. On this outing, Isbell strips things back even more, going with, for the most part, sparse, moody arrangements and songs that muse on the responsibilities of his newfound sobriety, an atonement of sorts, and they tell of lost weekends, drinking mouthwash when the alcohol ran out, and other sordid personal tragedies, all with an eye to how it seems to work out when problems are embraced, addressed, and finally owned. As such, this is an ultimately positive set that doesn't pull punches. Highlights include the beautiful opening love song "Cover Me Up," the elegant and sort of baroque country-rocker "Stockholm," the blast-along "Super 8" (which wouldn't sound out of place on any of the Truckers albums), and the love ballad "Relatively Easy," which closes things out here. The overall tone of this fine set is one of quiet and thoughtful honesty with one's life and past and the knowledge that personal redemption has to be earned again and again each and every day. It is, quite frankly, Isbell's best solo album thus far.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG
James Christopher Monger
After spending six years with Southern rock outfit Drive-By Truckers, singer/guitarist Jason Isbell left the group in 2007 to pursue a solo career. Isbell had already honed his songwriting skills during his tenure with the Truckers, and he funneled those talents into Sirens of the Ditch, a bluesy, punk-infused lesson in guitar tones and Southern swagger that marked his solo debut in summer 2007. Backed by a new band dubbed the 400 Unit, Isbell took his songs on the road and soon began penning another album, which he recorded with the 400 Unit in 2008. Released the following year, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit was another step away from his work with Drive-By Truckers, relying as much on sad, melancholic country ballads as the familiar Muscle Shoals sound.
After performing more than 200 shows annually for several years running, Isbell took a breather in 2010 and returned home to northern Alabama. The area had been hit hard by the recent economic downturn, prompting Isbell to write a new batch of songs about the war vets, barflies, and out-of-luck characters who populated the area. The result was Here We Rest, which was released in spring 2011 to critical acclaim. Isbell followed it a year later in 2012 with a live set, Live from Alabama, recorded at the WorkPlay Theater in Birmingham, Alabama and at the Crossroads in Huntsville, Alabama. Embracing his newfound sobriety, Isbell next produced an album of haunting atonement and redemption, the sparse and impressive Southeastern, which appeared in 2013.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
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