When Jason Isbell announced that he was releasing a new self-titled album with his band The 400 Unit, I have to admit that I was a little nervous. His debut album was four years in the making and was one of the pleasant surprises of 2008. When an album is that long in the making, I’m always a little skeptical when the second release comes out soon after. Isbell has laid those concerns to rest.
In addition to dropping about 30-40 pounds since leaving Drive-By Truckers, Isbell has put a stamp on his sound. Gone is the crunching three guitar attack and in its place you’ll find a blend of Muscle Shoals country-soul and down home southern rock.
While this self-titled release is not blazing new trails, Isbell’s songwriting is crisper and more mature. “Cigarettes and Wine” tells the story of a relationship with a bartender and “Soldiers Get Strange” tells the story of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder. Much like “Dress Blues” off his debut, the song isn’t meant to be preachy. It’s just meant to tell a story.
This album confirms Jason Isbell as one of the top story-tellers of our day. He’s playing in Chicago tonight at The Double Door with Justin Townes Earle for what promises to be a special night of music.
Justin Townes Earle and Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit were in San Francisco last week, so I made the 40 minute commute into the city to check out the show at The Independent. I hired a babysitter and took the wife with me, so I didn’t take any pictures. You can’t interrupt date night with music blogging antics, but it was a great night of music. Several moments gave me chills and made my neckbeard stand up on end.
If you like country music and haven’t seen Justin Townes Earle yet, you’re missing out. Watching the stage banter between he and his long time friend, Corey Younts, is entertaining in itself, but these guys are truly talented musicians. I’d recommend situating yourself in front of Corey to watch him switch off between banjo, uke and harmonica. It’s jaw-dropping.
The song in Justin’s set that gave me chills was “Mama’s Eyes.” He gave an intro talking about how he wasn’t miraculously conceived as a Steve Earle solo project and, contrary to what you may have read, he actually does have a mother. I’ve seen similar interviews where Justin says that this song is just a way to give credit where credit is due in his upbringing. It’s his momma who raised him while daddy was on the road.
Video: Justin Townes Earle – Mama’s Eyes (Live at Spaceland in LA)
In contrast to Justin’s stripped down, country ho-down set, Jason Isbell took the stage next with his band, The 400 Unit, and exploded with their electric guitar driven, southern rock sound. The goosebumps popped up when he introduced “Dress Blues” and dedicated it to his childhood friend who died in the war. I love the song because Jason doesn’t point fingers or take pot-shots at the government. He paints a picture of family, friends and small towns coping with the loss of a loved one. It’s not a protest song. It’s just a tribute to his friend that we can all identify with. You could hear a pin drop when he performed it.
Video: Jason Isbell – Dress Blues (Live at Stubbs)
After I dried my eye, I recognized the first chords of the follow-up song which stood in stark contrast to they cry for peace on “Dress Blues.” Jason Isbell’s cover of “The Assassin,” written by former Drive-By Trucker band mate, Patterson Hood, is always a highlight and one that we’ve discussed before. It tells the tale of a professional killer that “loses his taste” for killing.
Video: Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit – The Assassin (Patterson Hood Cover)
The rest of Isbell + 400 were tracks mostly from their new album with some DBT gems like “Goddamn Lonely Love” mixed in. Watching Jason play guitar is worth the price of admission.
These guys are heading into Chicago on April 17th for a show at Double Door. If you’re in the windy city, I’d recommend getting there.
Justin Townes Earle is one tall drink of water. I was really surprised when I met him at SxSW. He’s got to be 6′4″. That’s like 11 feet tall in the indie music world.
Anyhoo, JTE will be at The Independent tonight in San Francisco opening for Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit. I’ll be running around there with Mrs. Oz. If you ain’t got shit to do, you should join us.
Jason Isbell’s new self-titled album will be released on February 17th on Lightning Rod Records. . The label is also offering a free download of the single “Seven-Mile Island.” He’s also got some new tour dates announced on MySpace and a stop in Austin for SXSW 2009.
