Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch

[Fresh Tendrils]

Sirens of the Ditch @ Amazon

Jason Isbell, former Drive-By Trucker guitarist/singer/songwriter, will release his debut solo album next Tuesday, July 10th. Having become a major DBT fan since last Summer, I'm really excited for Jason's solo debut. He writes amazing songs and his vocals are great (although I liked Cooley's and Patterson's vocals more than Isbell's while he was was with DBT). Anybody not familiar with the Drive-By Truckers should check out "Southern Rock Opera" as soon as possible, but if you want some Isbell tunes, you'd be better off checking out "The Dirty South," "Decoration Day" or "A Blessing and a Curse."

At Myspace

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch

AMG Review

Although Jason Isbell's rather sudden split from the Drive-By Truckers, after six years of guitar/songwriting employment, was unexpected by most, his debut solo disc had already been four years in the making. Perhaps that explains the appearance of three members of his old band (bassist Shonna Tucker, drummer Brad Morgan, and DBT founder/frontman Patterson Hood, who also co-produced this disc), who assist on nearly every track. Musically Isbell finds a more soulful, generally less guitar-centric groove in this Southern singer/songwriter rock. Even though it was pieced together from different sessions, this is a remarkably coherent effort. Songs such as the melancholy "Dress Blues" and the harder-rocking "Shotgun Wedding" dissect the lives of working folks from small towns that Isbell likely knows well, and his lyrics sympathetically examine the limited futures of many of the protagonists. He delivers these stories with honest, unpretentious, and dusky vocals that, with a modified Don Henley rasp, subtly frame his skillfully constructed words. Even with the substantial input from the various Truckers, few of that band's fans would expect to find the upbeat, near-folk pop with banjo accompaniment of "The Magician," a tune that uses the titular character as a metaphor for the life of a touring musician, on a DBT disc. Nor would the understated blues of "Hurricanes and Hand Grenades" or the lovely acoustic ruminations of "In a Razor Town," a song that wouldn't be out of place on an old Jackson Browne album, logically slot into the Truckers' catalog. Every track is beautifully constructed, but none are fussy or overthought out, something not to be taken for granted concerning songs that took four years to finally appear. At times the effect seems almost too clean, as if Isbell is trying to distance himself from the grungier Truckers style. But this is a remarkably mature and impressive debut from an artist who seems like he's just getting started and his best stuff lies ahead of him.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch

Bump.

I highly recommend this album. Its a wonderful album with a lot of southern variety throughout. Jason Isbell is a terrific songwriter. The album is more in line with Ryan Adam's country stuff than Nashville country. Definitely an album worth checking out.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch

Here's a review I posted on last.fm

With the echo of Southern Rock Opera still ringing in my ear after being absolutely floored by Drive-By Truckers last summer, I experienced disappointment and sadness when I heard Jason Isbell and the band had decided to go their separate ways. Disappointed and sad because not only would I never be able to experience Drive-By Truckers with Jason Isbell in their line-up in concert, but also because there won't be (at least not in the immediate future) another album like The Dirty South or Decoration Day where Isbell's presence was spectacular. Despite these feelings, I was excited for the release of Jason's debut solo album Sirens of the Ditch and with my expectations excessively high, thanks to the amazing works of art Jason has contributed to the Truckers over the span of six years, the album has become another amazing piece of work from southern-rocker Jason Isbell.

To get things out of the way, Sirens of the Ditch does and does not sound like the Drive-By Truckers. There are some obvious songs that would have fit neatly on any of their albums, while there are songs that just wouldn't have fit and flowed with the Truckers Lynyrd Skynyrd influenced southern-rock style. Try, Brand New Kind of Actress and Shotgun Wedding all have that Drive-By Truckers sound and feel throughout them; especially Try as the track would have fit nicely beside Hell No, I Ain't Happy off of Decoration Day, and as such sounds more like a Patterson Hood song than an Isbell number. While there are flashes of memories of the Drive-By Truckers in each song, the three above are the most obvious and most similar to what Isbell has done with is former band. Enough with the Drive-By Truckers' comparing and contrasts, because with or without the Drive-By Truckers, Sirens of the Ditch proves Jason Isbell can stand on his own.

It is hard not to want to stick a quick label on the album, whether its alt-country, country, southern rock, or any other useless descriptor a person can think of. The fact of the matter is that while there is an overall unifying sound of southern, Americana country, Isbell displays a lot of variation, subtle experimentation and influences throughout Sirens of the Ditch, which makes each song its own individual story and lesson. While this individuality can be a bit jarring from song to song as far as the track sequence goes, the theme holds the songs together and unifies them into a true album and not just a collection of songs. Fans of Drive-By Truckers already know Jason Isbell is a terrific song-writer with a knack for telling stories, specifically those that focus on character and Sirens of the Ditch is no different. While I won't spoil the fun of discovering the focus and "lesson" of each song, as each person interprets differently, I will say these lessons are what ties the album together and weave together nicely producing amazing slices of Americana lifestyles.

Ultimately, Sirens of the Ditch is the perfect Americana album. Each song has something uniquely different to offer compared to those around it, whether its the music or the lyrics. Down in a Hole has a strut and a swagger to it thanks to Spooner Oldham's B-3 to perfectly match Isbell's lyrics about a businessman. The Magician has a banjo infused pop-basis which creates a contrasting atmosphere to the lyrics - a musical illusion so to speak. One of the albums best moments is the soul based Hurricanes and Hand Grenades which packs a wonderful electric blues riff throughout. Grown autmotically gets mention and points thanks to Isbell name-dropping Prince's Purple Rain (talk about some variety). While there is beauty in Isbell's subtle exploration and variety, the best song takes the focus away from the variety and instead focuses it simply on the lyrics and the music. Dress Blues is a powerful song, a song that touches on the Iraq War with class and without creating opposition or support for the war. Initially, the song is optimistic, hoping for the return of a friend and the short instrumental break after the first chorus reflects that optimism, but it is short lived as the lyrics register and the listener realizes the friend's not coming back. The rest of the song is heartbreaking - the back-up vocals and the rest of the instrumentals create a sense of remembrance as the only thing that comes across your mind is the thought of family and friends and not the war. Dress Blues is not only one of Isbell's best songs he has crafted and one of the best songs of the year, but one of the best songs about war I have ever heard.

As far as other alt-country (or what have you) albums from this year, Jason Isbell is a better song-writer than Ryan Adams and his album is not only better but more consistent, unique and genuine than Ryan Adams' Easy Tiger. Wilco's Sky Blue Sky doesn't even deserve to be within ten feet of Isbell's debut album as Isbell actually puts out an entertaining, enjoyable listen with great guitar work, whereas Sky Blue Sky had great, yet boring guitar work with mediocre songs.

With Sirens of the Ditch, Isbell has proved to be a powerful solo artist capable of putting out an entire album of amazing material. With each listen, a new gem is discovered and polished and I eagerly await Isbell's next solo album because I have a sinking feeling it could possibly end up being better than his debut; however, I have no idea how he would do it, but I have no doubt he will.