![]() You can tell the song is affecting but you have to go back and tease it apart. Lyrics that make you come back and try to figure it out. ![]() The tune tells the story of a woman cancer, or so it seems “Sharecropper eyes, and the hair almost all gone / When she was drunk, she made cancer jokes.†That’s the new story song challenge from Isbell. The stories are fully formed and affecting. The songs are less focused on hooks and more growers. While I didn’t think Isbell could top Here We Rest, Isbell took Southeastern in a totally different direction. ![]() The constant has been Isbell’s voice.įor Southeastern, Isbell has kicked out the band and sat down at the desk (or wherever) to write the tunes. The rockers are not only catchy but meaningful. His acoustic songs are not just story snippets, they are full-on short stories with cutting details and devastating hooks. While his years with the Drive-By Truckers demonstrated an emerging craftsman, Southeastern shows Isbell in full bloom. Isbell and Shires are incredibly talented musicians and songwriters, I’m excited to continue hearing the music that they make together. ![]() I found that Southeastern took time to build and grow on me, it wasn’t immediate like the previous album Here We Rest. Intriguing, heart-breaking, and beautiful are words that come to mind when thinking about this album. When Isbell says, “There’s a man who walks beside me he is who I used to be/ And I wonder if she sees him and confuses him with me,” it’s unclear if he’s describing himself or the character. He falls in love, confesses feeling vulnerable, and eventually loses the girl, “carving her cross from live oak and and her box from short-leaf pine” before burying her. In “Live Oak,” Isbell describes an old-time gangster, robbing freight trains and killing men. The lyric, “There’s one thing that’s real clear to me: No one dies with dignity/ We just try to ignore the elephant somehow” is haunting. “Elephant” is the heartbreaking story about a friend dying from cancer. The album takes an interesting turn with songs like “Elephant” and “Live Oak.” Isbell tells intriguing stories that leave the listener wondering about them long after they end. “I’ve grown tired of traveling alone, won’t you ride with me?” The answer from Shires was clearly yes. In “Traveling Alone,” Shire adds gorgeous fiddle notes to a song that describes the desire to share life with someone. “Stockholm” is one of my favorite songs on the album, with a catchy melody and beautiful female harmonies throughout. With lyrics like, “Girl, leave your boots by the bed we ain’t leaving this room/ Til someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom,” it’s clear that Isbell has finally found the serenity and love that he has been seeking. ![]() It begins with “Cover Me Up,” a lovely song seemingly for Shires. The album is full of themes such as redemption, sobriety, love, death, and vivid storytelling. After a stint in rehab, losing 40 pounds, and marrying the beautiful singer/ fiddle player Amanda Shires, Isbell is sober and releasing a beautiful and mysterious record with Southeastern. I remember watching him in May of 2011, chugging from a bottle of Jack Daniels on stage. Put Jason Isbell’s Southeastern in that category. Every once in awhile, there is an artist whose album is so anticipated by everyone in the Twangville Posse that we all pile on for a team review. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |