Jason Isbell - Something More Than Free 7/17

[Iowan]

I haven't put it back on in awhile, to be honest.

[brstigerfan]

Catching my ear today... Amanda's fiddle on Hudson Commodore. Anyone else loving that? The song itself is growing on me, there's a lot of layers of story there to unpack (lots of words!) but the squonk of her fiddle in the chorus is pretty awesome.

Still not loving If It Takes a Lifetime; loving Flagship and Children of Children more and more... and Speed Trap Town, especially after hearing it live the other night.

Anyone else with second impressions? Sometimes they're better than first impressions...

This album has really grabbed me after listening to it a couple of times. Children of Children and Palmetto Rose are the standouts to me. I like Speed Trap Town a lot, and look forward to hearing it live.
Did they perform it the way it sounds on the record? I think it would be good with full band, drums and electric guitar.
Interesting that you said Flagship. So far that and To a Band are the ones I've skipped over the most. I'll give it another shot.

[adiantumpedatum]

This album has really grabbed me after listening to it a couple of times. Children of Children and Palmetto Rose are the standouts to me. I like Speed Trap Town a lot, and look forward to hearing it live.
Did they perform it the way it sounds on the record? I think it would be good with full band, drums and electric guitar.
Interesting that you said Flagship. So far that and To a Band are the ones I've skipped over the most. I'll give it another shot.

It was more rocking live, definitely. They really unpacked after the second verse, when he signs his name and says his last goodbyes. Wish they would've done that on the album. After they played it someone behind us yelled "THAT SONG WAS FUCKING AWESOME!" which about sums up how I feel.

Flagship to me has a lot of the same power as Cover me Up-- quiet, but man, those words hit hard. The words on Children of Children hit hard, too, but with the band to back up the power of the words. I like it both ways.

[Clams]

My two cents:
Still have it in heavy rotation, still enjoying it. As I mentioned earlier, it's just a really smooth record and easy to listen to. I love Children of Children (although I'm not really sure what going on lyrically), I love the riff in 24 Frames, Palmetto Rose is all about Charleston which is one of my favorite cities, Flagship is a great little ditty about married life and making it last. Lyrically, the god/architect/pipe bomb line has already spurred some good debate in my house (my wife leans toward architect whereas I'm more the pipe bomb type). I think the band sounds great, especially Jimbo (on Flagship) and I love the contrast of the drummer playing light and easy on stuff like If It Takes a Lifetime, Life You Choose and How to Forget, and then banging the skins hard on Children of Children. Derry sounds great too, esp on Children and If It Takes a Lifetime. Amanda's sounds really good and at times I have trouble telling her violin from the guitars. No opinion on Sadler b/c I can't tell when he's playing the guitar parts or Jason is. I love this record (and my wife really loves it). Really looking forward to hearing the songs live this summer.

[gepman]

OK. I've been as patient as possible. No longer.

Can someone hook me up via a DM?

Thanks in advance.

[dbtfan4life]

u get it Gep? never had the opportunity to listen...

[Beebs]

I haven't put it back on in awhile, to be honest.

x 2

I'll give it a fair shake when I have some listening time but first impressions didn't motivate me to dig deep.

[brett27295]

I'll give it a fair shake when I have some listening time but first impressions didn't motivate me to dig deep.

I suspect I'll enjoy this album more on vinyl than I do now. Even so I don't think Something More Than Free will rise above my least favorite Isbell albums for quite some time. It's not bad, it's just not as good as anything else he's ever recorded. IMO of course.

[lotusamerica]

Sorry, guys-- thanks for not being offended when I put down your favorite songs! I love how there doesn't seem to be a single Isbell song that we ALL agree is terrible-- every song is someone's favorite.

I happen to love/cherish/ADORE JI & the 400 Unit, though I know that is a much-maligned album on here. To each his own...

Still the record I listen to the most. Best production, even if somewhat overblown at times, and a lot of angst/strife/frustration. To me, that's a lot of what makes music interesting.

[lotusamerica]

Jason's first two records took several dozen listens to really sink in before I got them. His next two were pretty much the same the first listen as the 100th for me, WYSIWYG. Not comparing strengths of the albums, just really different break in experiences for my ears/mind.

I'm happy to put in the time to see which way this one goes.

[adiantumpedatum]

Still the record I listen to the most. Best production, even if somewhat overblown at times, and a lot of angst/strife/frustration. To me, that's a lot of what makes music interesting.

Agree. It's such a good throw-open-the-windows-and-let-er-rip record. I think personally, my musical nirvana lies somewhere between the raging self-loathing of JI/400U and the introspection (and incredible songwriting) of SE.

In other news, I Googled Hudson Commodore yesterday. It's a car. Maybe that isn't news to anyone else, but hearing the song the first dozen times, I was picturing a boat. And a Dellahaye 135 is also a car. One thing you CAN say about Isbell songs, love em or loathe em at least they're always building your vocabulary.

[brett27295]

For the record (studio albums only):

1. Sirens of the Ditch
2. Here We Rest
3. 400 Unit
4. Southeastern
5. Something More Than Free

[Iowan]

For the record (studio albums only):

1. Sirens of the Ditch
2. Here We Rest
3. 400 Unit
4. Southeastern
5. Something More Than Free

Sirens
Southeastern
Here We Rest/Something More Than Free
400 Unit

I think Here We Rest has the best individual song between the two (Codeine), but there are more really good songs on Something More Than Free

Regarding Sirens at number 1, flow matters, but not enough to knock down this collection of songs.

[Clams]

Southeastern
Sirens
400 Unit
Here We Rest
Something More Than Free

(but not a clunker in the bunch)

[TW_2.0]

Sirens
Southeastern
400 Unit
Here We Rest


Have not heard SMTF.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Sirens
Southeastern
Here We Rest/Something More Than Free
400 Unit

I think Here We Rest has the best individual song between the two (Codeine), but there are more really good songs on Something More Than Free

Regarding Sirens at number 1, flow matters, but not enough to knock down this collection of songs.

I probably agree with your list here but the funny thing is the record I listen to most is the 400 Unit S/T which I objectively call the worst album of the bunch. I can just play it and forget it without ever having a "oh not sure about this song" moment. There's not a song it that reaches the heights of Southeastern or Sirens but there aren't any bad ones either.

[Iowan]

Sirens
Southeastern
Here We Rest/Something More Than Free
400 Unit

I think Here We Rest has the best individual song between the two (Codeine), but there are more really good songs on Something More Than Free

Regarding Sirens at number 1, flow matters, but not enough to knock down this collection of songs.

I probably agree with your list here but the funny thing is the record I listen to most is the 400 Unit S/T which I objectively call the worst album of the bunch. I can just play it and forget it without ever having a "oh not sure about this song" moment. There's not a song it that reaches the heights of Southeastern or Sirens but there aren't any bad ones either.

It's definitely an even album.

I just forget about it alot, honestly. Probably because I think if you were going to rank the best songs off each album, it would have the worst best song, if that makes any sense.

[Tequila Cowboy]

It does. I would say that song is The Blue, which I love but wouldn't put in the Dress Blues, Alabama Pines, Elephant, etc. category.

[Iowan]

It does. I would say that song is The Blue, which I love but wouldn't put in the Dress Blues, Alabama Pines, Elephant, etc. category.

I'm honestly not sure what I'd pick for best song off self titled.

It's a toss up between The Blue, Good, Seven Mile Island, and No Choice in the Matter. Probably one of the middle two for me.

Sirens: Dress Blues
HWR: Codeine
SE: Elephant
SMTH: Children of Children

[TW_2.0]

For me

Sirens: Try
Southeastern: Cover Me Up
400 Unit: Seven Mile Island
Here We Rest: Alabama Pines

I think I'll go make a Jason Greatest Hits mix, now that I think about it. Taking the best of his solo stuff should make for a killer playlist.

[LastLawson]

In descending order:

JI & 400 Unit: Sunstroke
Southeastern: Elephant
SMTF: Speed Trap Town
SOTD: Chicago Promenade
HWR: Alabama Pines

[maxjkugel]

Albums in order of preference and favorite song from each:

S/T - Sunstroke
Sirens - Try
Southeastern - Elephant
SMTF - Children of Children
HWR - Daisy Mae

[JJAllin]

Albums in order of preference and favorite song from each:

S/T - Sunstroke
Sirens - Try
Southeastern - Elephant
SMTF - Children of Children
HWR - Daisy Mae

Ha! I LOVE that someone else chose "Daisy Mae" (I've read accounts of people actually DIS-liking that song, I know taste is subjective but I have a hard time wrapping my head around thinking that that is a bad song).

Though - oddly and maybe ironically enough? I think "Codeine" is one of the weaker tracks on that album and most everyone else ranks it highly.

I don't know how I would rank JI's solo catalogue. SMTF would be in last place and HWR would be in first, as of right now, and that is about all I can say concretely. I would have to really think about the rest. "Southeastern" MIGHT even come in at second, but I don't want a bunch of "Southeastern's" if that makes any sense? Damn good record, but it gives me more than my fill.

[claym]

Disclosure. I couldnt wait anymore got album early.
Did preorder it and will "buy it".


I have listened to it straight through now about 10 times. It is really growing on me. Southeastern dropped just about a week before my then wife split. It will always have a special place in my heart. I consider it one of the finest albums I have ever heard. I also consider it to be a piece of art which profoundly moved me.

What I noticed most about the new album is a few things.

I am finding a lot of influences here.
How to Forget to me sounds like a Paul Simon influenced song. That constant acoustic guitar, drums etc.
Children is very CSNY to me. Obviously sans the harmony parts. But the guitar parts scream of CSNY.

I am not going to give a full review. So many here have already done so. I love the album. Itll never come close to SE for me on a lot of levels. But I really like it. It continues to grow on me.

An artist like Jason is writing in a certain time and space. I find the songs to reflect that. There are a lot more songs that maybe feature other "characters" through the prism of Jasons current life.

It is a fantastic work. The pressure to write these songs must have been amazing. It seems all of these were written on the road. I appreciate an artist who doesnt hoard his work but writes to a specific time and place. It is why I love Exile on Main Street so much.

SE and SFMTF are time pieces. Time stamps if you will. There are a lot of themes of "working" and being thankful for what you have. Even if it sometimes is burdensome. Flagship, Palmetto Rose, and Speed Trap Town all take you to a place, a moment, a setting. I love that.

Anyway, just my thoughts.

[maxjkugel]

Ha! I LOVE that someone else chose "Daisy Mae" (I've read accounts of people actually DIS-liking that song, I know taste is subjective but I have a hard time wrapping my head around thinking that that is a bad song).

Yeah, not sure.....it's a damn good song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1GkMCrMFo

[JJAllin]

Ha! I LOVE that someone else chose "Daisy Mae" (I've read accounts of people actually DIS-liking that song, I know taste is subjective but I have a hard time wrapping my head around thinking that that is a bad song).

Yeah, not sure.....it's a damn good song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F1GkMCrMFo

Great video...I had seen another video (thought this was going to actually be that same one, but it wasn't) where he is playing "Daisy Mae" solo outside to a small gathering of fans (he might be playing on a porch or something? I just can't remember now, it has been some time since I saw it, but it too, was a great listen)....

What I noticed about this video is he is playing it with a pick. I ALWAYS play "Daisy Mae" via finger-picking (and I honestly assumed JI did as well). But regardless, it sounds fantastic the way that Jason is playing it via arpeggio's, etc.

I remember back in the late 90's when I had really developed the ability to "play by ear" and figure just about any song out via listening long enough and discovering the root notes (often-times, simply on one string and then via process of converting single notes to chords, etc.) and, by that point, well-aware of "relative chord progressions" and simple things of that nature....anyhow, going through my Paul Simon stuff (mainly S&G records) and figuring out how to play absolutely BEAUTIFUL songs like "Kathy's Song"? I would come to find out later that, while the way I was playing most of the songs was perfectly fine and sounded plenty close enough to the recorded versions, I was actually OVER-complicating a lot of them. The way *I* was playing "Kathy's Song" was about 3 times as difficult as the actual way Paul Simon played the song! And I would come to discover the same about many of his tunes. Paul held a large degree of a "less is more" philosophy when it came to what he did/did not actually fret. Often times, he would simply be fretting 1 or maybe 2 notes and picking a lot of open notes/strings at certain fret positions versus the opposite (which is what *I* was often doing).

For the record, I still actually prefer the way that I was playing "Kathy's Song" when it comes to sitting down and playing it to sound as much like the record as I could get it (listen to some of Paul's takes on it live and often, it just doesn't sound quite as great). But damn, that studio version, down to that last little outro, post-vocals, where Paul does 3 rapid plucks on the low-E and G string(s) prior to going into the song's conclusion? That whole thing is just some beautiful guitar playing.

A very un-heralded (and FAR too often, unheard) album from back in that era is an album by a fella named Jackson C. Frank titled "Blues Run The Game" (Paul Simon produced the sparse album; it mainly simply being Jackson, his finger-folk-guitar-picking style and his vocals. Jackson was so shy, he had to have some sort of a barrier in-between himself and anyone else while recording the takes, especially the vocals, he was just so timid and self-conscious. Simon & Garfunkel also covered the title track, though the original is MUCH better IMO. There's a track from the album titled "Dialogue" which I play a lot for folks and some times, I'll do "My Name Is Carnival", albeit, I re-wrote some of the lyrics to be more fitting to a particular happening in my own life).

Also, if you want to really read one HELL of a tragic story, beginning pretty much from the time Jackson was just a young boy? Read HIS story. Blues did indeed run most the games in that man's life.

Okay, after delving off topic there for a bit (as I'm wont to do), I think that this is how I would rank JI's solo discography:

01 - Here We Rest
02 - Southeastern (again, a great and very enjoyable album. I just do not want nor need any more just like it, at least, not soon)
03 - Sirens Of The Ditch
04 - 400 Unit
05 - SMTF

[gepman]

24 Frames, anyone else get a "Springsteen-ish" vibe from this one?

I think its mainly the guitar riff after the chorus...

[Oliver Poon]

In other news, I Googled Hudson Commodore yesterday. It's a car. Maybe that isn't news to anyone else, but hearing the song the first dozen times, I was picturing a boat. And a Dellahaye 135 is also a car. One thing you CAN say about Isbell songs, love em or loathe em at least they're always building your vocabulary.

When we went to Nashville to see Jason at the Ryman in 2013, we killed some time at the Frist Center, going to an art deco car show called Sensuous Steel. They had a couple of Delahaye 135s on display, and I wonder if that's what inspired him to include that particular car.

[adiantumpedatum]

When we went to Nashville to see Jason at the Ryman in 2013, we killed some time at the Frist Center, going to an art deco car show called Sensuous Steel. They had a couple of Delahaye 135s on display, and I wonder if that's what inspired him to include that particular car.

Neato! Don't know where the inspiration came from, but he sure had antique cars on his mind when he wrote Hudson Commodore. Those things are gorgeous.

As far as these album/song rankings go, I find that BEST and FAVORITE are two very different beasts. The best song on the album is not necessarily my favorite-- it's the one I find most impressive lyrically. Elephant is the best song on SE. There isn't a whole lot of debate on that amongst this group. But my favorite... oh man. My favorite is Live Oak and STSSITS and Cover me Up and Flying over Water and Relatively Easy. So with that in mind, my favorite songs on each album, with the albums in descending order...

Southeastern - Live Oak (most days)
JI/400 - Streetlights (every damn day)
Here we Rest - Go It Alone
Sirens - Chicago Promenade
SMTF - Children of Children

And my top five Isbell songs, for what it's worth... Streetlights, The Blue, Live Oak, STSSITS, Decoration Day.

[Tequila Cowboy]

The "best" and "favorite" discussion has been a bit of a landmine around these parts for years, but I'm on your side they can be very different things.