By Rick Grant
Back at Mojos Kitchen again, my wife and I almost didn’t get seats the place was so crowded. Finally, we found seats with a nice young couple who were obviously rabid fans of Jason Isbell’s former band the Drive-By Truckers (DBT). It took guts to leave such a successful band, but Jason had written material that didn’t fit-in with the DBT’s sound. Thus, Jason is out touring as a duo with either Will Hoge or Corey Smith as his acoustic partner.
For his Mojos gig, Jason had Corey with him on second acoustic guitar. Jason was presenting his new songs off his solo album, Sirens Of The Ditch, which was co-produced by Jason and DBT’s Patterson Hood. The duo idea showcased the songs in their simplest form, with amplified acoustic guitars providing the orchestration. Since I loathe overproduction, I was ecstatic that Jason had chosen to present his new songs in this scaled down format. Indeed, performing songs this way is the true test of their greatness. Yes, Jason’s new material passed that test. Jason’s new songs are in the power-pop bag, with catchy changes–more like Brian Adams than DBT.
“I think in a lot of ways these songs are different than the stuff I wrote for the Truckers,” Jason said from his home in Muscle Shoals, Alabama on his website. Jason went on to say, “Usually when I write, it’s pretty obvious if I’m writing a Truckers song or I’m writing a song for some other purpose. Sirens Of The Ditch is more of a power-pop record than what the Truckers would normally write. The songs are more hook-oriented and they’re not necessarily as story driven (as DBT’s songs).”
At 28, Jason grew up in a family of musicians, channeling everything he heard into his guitar and piano playing from age 12. Over the years, Jason played in innumerable bands and was one of three DBT frontmen. Based on my impression of Jason’s music after witnessing his two live acoustic sets at Mojos, his material has mass appeal and strong hit potential. Yet, the songs have soul–infused with blues and R&B--and are not necessarily radio friendly, which allows Jason to hold on to his hip factor with his fans from DBT. The guy sitting next to me was very enthusiastic about Jason’s new songs. In fact, from the first song, the audience was into his songs and the overtone-rich acoustic presentation. Yeah man, Mojos combination of fine barbecue, great music, and for me, plenty of beer is hard to beat.
Interestingly, Jason did not alienate his former bandmates in DBT. Sirens Of The Ditch on New West Records was recorded at Fame Studio in Muscle Shoals, with DBT’s Shonna Tucker on bass, Brad Morgan on drums, Patterson Hood, his father David Hood, Sponner Oldham, and John Neff. The SOTD’s final cut launches Jason Isbell as a power-pop player on the charts and on-stage, touring the listening rooms, honky-tonks, and blues clubs across the nation.
After listening to Jason play the material live and then listening to the album off Rhapsody, I liked his live version better. I love the crisp sounds of the two acoustic guitars and Jason’s quality voice. I think Jason could have recorded the entire album this way and it would have been well received. Ah yes, but having the full band orchestration helps the record complete on the charts in the realm of national marketing. Still, I’m always willing to check out an acoustic album as opposed to a full band recording. As far as I’m concerned, cut the crap off the record and get down to the artist with an acoustic guitar or piano. Hey, that’s just me.
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