Jason Isbell seems like the sort of person who looks you in the eye when he talks to you. In his songs, Isbell says exactly what he means. There's no artifice in his lyrics -- but that's not to say those lyrics aren't artful. They're plenty artful. They're tough and economical and full of empathy. But you always know exactly what he's saying. There's never any guesswork involved. He takes these vast, world-eating sentiments and boils them down to as few words as possible -- makes them sound like the sort of things you might hear someone say at a bar, late at night, when he's had maybe one too many drinks. He doesn't exaggerate, doesn't overstate, doesn't use flowery language. And so when Isbell sings about being afraid to raise a daughter in Donald Trump's America, it doesn't come across as alarmist hyperbole. It comes across as something very, very real, and it's a whole lot scarier for it.
Album Of The Week
Album Of The Week: Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit The Nashville Sound
