Jason Isbell

• Sirens of the Ditch [New West, 2007] ★
• Southeastern [Southeastern, 2013] ★★★
• Something More Than Free [Southeastern, 2015] A−
• Reunions [Southeastern, 2020] ★★★
• Foxes in the Snow [Southeastern, 2025] A−

See Also:

• Mike Cooley/Patterson Hood/Jason Isbell
• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
• merge all

Consumer Guide Reviews:

Sirens of the Ditch [New West, 2007]
Like so many major talents, more major in a group ("Dress Blues," "Try"). ★

Southeastern [Southeastern, 2013]
The problem with sobriety records is that they're so damn sober ("Elephant," "Cover Me Up") ★★★

Something More Than Free [Southeastern, 2015]
Although his alt-Americana base may find him less "authentic" now, it's a musical positive that getting sober has finally cheered Isbell up. The resigned confidence of his singing signifies mental health. His contained Alabama drawl and guitar-bass-drums aesthetic mark his people as Southern whites of modest prospects subject to the "powder keg ready to blow" that is God's will. Talk of The Bell Jar and "character sets" mark him as a participant-observer while reminding bicoastalists how many Southern whites of modest prospects live in a larger world than bicoastalists imagine. A−

Reunions [Southeastern, 2020]
Lest anyone think he's full of himself, this brave, soulful, articulate Nashville conscience singer turns the high beam on his own moral shortcomings ("It Gets Easier," "What've I Done to Help?") ★★★

Foxes in the Snow [Southeastern, 2025]
Formally, if this isn't a folk record then it's an unaccompanied singer-songwriter record—in the old days the two were synonymous. But given his deep connection to the Drive-By Truckers, Isbell's picking has a way of making you anticipate a rousing chorus that never comes to pass, an observation I see I'm making on the very day he's scheduled to join his own 400 Unit band in hard-rocking Saskatchewan. My preference for this voice-plus-acoustic iteration no doubt reflects my enthusiasm for the kind of thoughtful love songs many guys never come up with one of and all of these tracks qualify as. I mean, he wrote the eternal "Outfit" and put his back into the pro-Dem Georgia Blue, so give him credit for not just respecting but welcoming the impressive array of female charm, substance, and erotic allure these songs address. From "Last time I tried this sober I was 17" to "I wasn't even fishing when I caught you," I respect him enough to believe his heart's in the right place and like him enough to hope the rest of him settles down there. A−

See Also

• Jason Isbell: Sirens of the Ditch [2007]