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  1. 2023 Albums Thing 181 - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit “Georgia Blue”

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    As we now know the 2020 US Presidential Election was a pretty fraught affair between Democrat Joe Biden and “Republican” Donald Trump. On the day after the polls closed, as the country (and likely the world), awaited the announcement of results it became clear that the result in the Southern state of Georgia would prove pivotal (as Trump has come to find out to his cost with him recently been indicted on election fraud charges in that very State). During that day Jason Isbell tweeted 

    “If Biden wins Georgia, I’m gonna make a charity covers album of my favorite Georgia songs.”

    Joe Biden did win Georgia and that’s how we wind up with “Georgia Blue” on Blue vinyl (blue being the colour of the Democrats). It was reportedly an idea that had already been kicked around and a rough track list had been drawn up. But following Isbell’s tweet, and Biden’s win, other artists expressed an interest. Brandi Carlile tweeted that she wanted to record the Indigo Girls’ “Kid Fears”, John Paul White of the Civil Wars wanted in. We also hear legendary bluegrass picker Béla Fleck and other emerging artists like singer-songwriter Brittney Spencer.

    “Georgia Blue” consists of 14 covers of songs from or about the state of Georgia. It’s not just Isbell taking the lead here either, members of the 400 Unit also get to step up. The album is bookended by 2 R.E.M songs. To start we have “Nightswimming” featuring Béla Fleck and to finish “Driver 8” (one of my favourite R.E.M songs and it’s OK, this version doesn’t endanger my love of the original version).

    Next up 400 Unit guitarist Sadler Vaden gets to sing the lead on Drivin’ N’ Cryin’s “Honeysuckle Blue” (Vaden was formerly a member of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’) a noisy rocker. However, the absolute and undisputed highlight of “Georgia Blue” is track 4 where Amanda Shires sings an incredible version of Cat Power’s “Cross Bones Style” in a swampy, Louisiana voodoo stylee. A great, great song by an artist who I previously knew nothing of and prompted me to dig deeper into both Cat Power and Amanda Shires music.

    There are a trio of soul covers taken on. James Brown’s “It’s A Mans Mans Mans World” is sung competently by Brittney Spencer; “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” was a brave choice and I’m sorry Jason, but as much as I like you, you ain’t no Otis and finally “Midnight Train To Georgia” which just doesn’t cut it without the Pips ! The try at the previously noted “Kid Fears” is actually pretty good, it’s such a good song it would be pretty difficult to mess it up.

    Although this doesn’t read like too much of a great review it’s an OK record, an interesting listen as I do like covers albums and all proceedings went to charity so I’m not running it down too much…except to say that when I die and if I end up in Hell I already know that Hell will feature this albums 12+ minute long take of the Allman Brothers guitar noodling dirge “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” on constant repeat. Hearing it once was more than any human should be made to suffer (I’ve just listened to it for the second (and last !) time for the purposes of this piece and can confirm it is horrific) and on my digital copy of this album I’ve deleted that file so as not to risk ever hearing it again !

    Thankfully “Cross Bones Style” (almost) made it all worth it

    Cross Bones Style - https://youtu.be/OHZQywB0Lu4

  2. 2023 Albums Thing 180 - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit “Reunions”

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    I recall this albums release coming as something of a surprise to me. I read about it just a few days before it was released and I  don’t know how I’d managed to miss the news that it was due. So I didn’t have much time to prepare for it, suddenly it was just there. Leading up to its release Isbell admitted in an interview with the  New York Times that creating it heaped great pressure on him to deliver another great record after making, in his own words “three good records in a row.”. It put extra pressure on his relationship with Amanda Shires as he was struggling under the weight of his self-imposed standards.

    “Reunions” doesn’t quite reach the heights of the previous 3 records but it’s in no way bad. It’s just that no-one can keep up that level of quality (hell just think of Bowie in the ’80’s). Weirdly, every time I go to play “Reunions” it feels like a chore. I always feel that getting through opening track “What've I Done To Help” feels like that. It has a chorus/refrain that goes “What've I done to help? What've I done to help? Somebody saved me/What've I done to help? What've I done to help, And not myself?” which is fine in itself but when you get to the end of the song it’s repeated and repeated and repeated on and on and on and on for way, way way too long. The song is a shade over 6 and a half minutes long, 3 minutes of it is that chorus/refrain just being repeated until you’re thinking “ALRIGHT ALREADY…GIVE IT UP !”. On my digital copy I’ve edited the song to a much less annoying 4mins 30 to preserve my sanity.

    After that it all gets much better. The remainder of Side one is really strong, “Dreamsicle”, “Only Children” and “Overseas” are all strong songs about obviously personal subjects, the first 2 related to childhood the third has a hint of the difficulties of touring as a parent about it. In fairness “What’ve I Done To Help” isn’t a bad song it’s just 2 minutes too long.

    Three songs on Side 2 really sum the record up. “St Peter’s Autograph” was written for Amanda Shires after she lost a close friend “Let him dance around our room, Let him smell of your perfume”; in “It Get’s Easier” Isbell once again addresses his ongoing sobriety letting us know “It gets easier, but it never gets easy”; “Letting You Go” lays out his thoughts on becoming a father and how he imagines he’ll cope with his daughter growing up “The best I can do is to let myself trust that you know, Who'll be strong enough to carry your heart”.

    There is one thing that really troubles me about “Reunions”, a lot of the guitar work is more than reminiscent of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler. Now I realise that Isbell is a guitar virtuoso and all that goes with that (he’s a self confessed Knopfler fan) but you really could pick your influences a little better Jason.

    It’s another intensely personal set of songs and I’d hate for you to think Jason Isnell’s schtick is nothing but streams of self pity, it’s not, he’s a genuinely great songwriter who has a need to write about what he knows and what’s happening to him. He put himself under pressure due to the quality of his previous 3 albums. “Reunions” doesn’t reach those levels but it’s a good record with two or three songs that would have graced any of those previous three albums.

    It Gets Easier - https://youtu.be/2CagbTwPxXw?si=i_Mcw81JYiTPUgy8

  3. 2023 Albums Thing 179 - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit “Live From the Ryman”

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    The Ryman Auditorium stands at 116 Rep. John Lewis Way North, Nashville, Tennessee. It opened as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892 and on June 5, 1943 WSM/NBC first broadcast The Grand Ole Opry radio show from the Ryman. Due to the power of their transmitters the Opry could be heard across much of the USA and was pivotal in spreading Country Music across the country. After performances by Houdini, Charlie Chaplin, Bob Hope and Doris Day the auditorium earned the nickname of “The Carnegie Hall of the South” but in the main, due to its association with the Grand Ole Opry the Ryman is known as  "The Mother Church of Country Music”. To be invited to play on The Grand Ole Opry is an honour for Country musicians to this day. . The radio show moved into a new purpose built home in 1974 but the Ryman still operates as a venue and is still regarded as one of the great stages in the USA. 

    Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit have played at the Ryman many, many times. “Live From The Ryman” was recorded on their 6 night stand there in October 2017 and they’ve pretty much played a regular week+ stand there ever since,  and they’ll be back for 8 nights in 2023. This album is a faithful recording of the tour to support the release of “The Nashville Sound”. Everything you’d expect is here (and “Flying Over Water” even makes an unwelcome appearance!).

    “Hope The High Road” is a great opener, the performances of “Elephant”, “Last Of My Kind”, “Cover Me Up and “If We Were Vampires” are beautiful. It’s a live album, I don’t really have much more to tell you than that.

    Cover Me Up - https://youtu.be/t40nr9ZXr_4?si=_ET67CHxfKXVg2e4