Isbell's latest collaboration with his band the 400 Unit is a celebration of songwriting. The opening track shows how his voice always finds the perfect place to be. While his solo album "Southeastern" is the masterpiece that this album is going to be measured up against, I like the direction things are heading in. "Death Wish" feels like Americana flavored rock rather than country music. Not complaining about that it just seems that is how things are. "King of Oklahoma" is tale of the depressing orbit of a drug addict, and has more of a twang to it. Lyrically this man in untouchable when it comes to story telling. The chorus soars out of the song when you are not expecting. There is also some great guitar playing, that aches out from the corners of the songs.
"Strawberry Woman" finds him reembarking on the more reflective side both musically and lyrically. He gives a more powerful vocal performance on "Middle of the Morning". Tonally it recalls Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man". A 70s West Coast rock feel flows with it's mellowed back haze as an undercurrent. "Save the World" has more of a rock pace to it. He paints a more vivid picture than Bruce Springsteen, who would be the closest blue collar comparison. The nuance of the guitars recalls Dire Straits. Isbell is a criminally under rated guitarist for sure. The strum of acoustic guitars flows like a brisk breeze on "If You Insist" . This song rides his folky middle of the road.
"Cast Iron Skillet" is the most lyrically heavy song of the album once you dive into it, though the music is more stripped down to give the vocals room. "When We Were Close" has a hug Rolling Stones feel to the guitars. Vocally it is also more driven, not as punchy as Mick Jagger but in that direction just less sexual. He embraces his country side on "Volunteer" which continues this album's trajectory of offering up lyrics that challenge the decline of the world around us. "Vestavia Hills" digs his boots deeper into Americana. It is also a call back to the "Southeastern" album. "White Beretta" find him pondering the confounding problems of Christianity. Keith Richards would have been proud to write the riffs of "This Ain't It" They jam around on it pretty well.
"Miles" closes out the album with ambling riff that crosses Tom Petty with Neil Young more than it looks in the direction of country music. In interviews I read with members of 400 Unit, they talked about how Jason's vocal approach was different, but I am not hearing that, I am hearing what he does placed in a context we have not heard from him before, but not a wild departure from what he normally does. There is a warmth to the album's sound that recalls many classic rock albums with a southern flare, but it is more personable than those. I will give this a 10, he is one of the best songwriters living today. He transcends country and does his thing.
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