Jason Isbell Sirens Of The Ditch 180g LP (Vinyl)

2007 Debut Solo Album On 180g Vinyl LP!
Pressed at RTI!

Growing up in a family of musicians, Jason Isbell absorbed everything he heard and began channeling it into guitar at age six and piano at 12. For six years, Isbell was one of three frontmen for the critically acclaimed Drive-By Truckers (DBT)—and although fans may have been shocked by his leaving the band in April 2007, once you hear his solo debut Sirens Of The Ditch (which was co-produced by Isbell and DBT’s Patterson Hood) it will only confirm that Isbell has his own unique voice. Musicians joining Isbell on the album include DBT’s Shonna Tucker (bass) and Brad Morgan (drums) with cameos from Patterson Hood, his father David Hood, Spooner Oldham, John Neff and more.

Recorded over four years at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals (Aretha Franklin, Duane Allman, Otis Redding), Sirens Of The Ditch is a diverse collection of songs that incorporates elements of rock, blues and soul music into a heartfelt mix of songs that favor piano and pedal steel over buzzing guitars—although, don’t worry, there’s a fair share of overdriven amps as well. "A lot of old soul musicians came through here in the late '60s and '70s and helped define the Muscle Shoals sound," the lifelong Alabamian explains, "so that influence was always in my environment, but on this record I really tried to capture that."

"A strong debut full of the kind of confident, charismatic songwriting that just can't be taught." - Pitchfork

"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." - Hal Horowitz, allmusic.com

Features:
• 180g Vinyl
• Pressed at RTI
• Debut solo album (2007)

Selections:
1. Brand New Kind Of Actress
2. Down In A Hole
3. Try
4. Chicago Promenade
5. Dress Blues
6. Grown
7. Hurricanes And Hand Grenades
8. In A Razor Town
9. Shotgun Wedding
10. The Magician
11. The Devil Is My Running Mate