Tag Archives: Streetlights

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Song of the Day #6,253: ‘Streetlights’ – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Jason Isbell’s sophomore album was released two years after his debut, in 2009, and marked a break from his Drive-By Truckers past. Rather than utilizing backing musicians and producers from his former band, he formed his own quartet.

Named the 400 Unit after the psychiatric unit of a hospital in Florence, Alabama, the band would be credited on most of Isbell’s future recordings. And they would help shift his music away from his Southern rock roots to a more folk rock/Americana sound. He named the album after the new band, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit.

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Song of the Day #4,597: ‘Angel From Montgomery’ – Bonnie Raitt

Both Amy and Dana included Bonnie Raitt’s recording of the John Prine classic ‘Angel From Montgomery’ on their list of favorite songs. This is a stone-cold classic, no doubt.

This track appeared on Raitt’s 1974 album Streetlights, her fourth release. She was pressured by her label to work with an established producer who could give her work more of a mainstream pop sheen, as opposed to the raw blues sound of her first few albums. She agreed, but wasn’t happy about it, and the album was a critical and commercial failure.

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