Continuing my Jason Isbell deep dive…
The gateway album for a favorite artist (the first work of theirs you hear) always holds a special place. Often it ends up being my favorite release. In the case of Jason Isbell, that album was 2017’s The Nashville Sound.
This record came to my attention after the track ‘If We Were Vampires’ showed up at #20 on the year-end Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll. The album showed up at #5 on the publication’s albums list.
Here’s one more track from Jason Isbell’s The Nashville Sound to soundtrack my family trip to Nashville.
Isbell is the rare left-leaning country artist (though refreshingly less rare than even a decade ago). This song, like several tracks on The Nashville Sound, is a reaction to the 2016 election and what it says about the state of America.
My family is in Nashville for the next few days, turning my wife’s work trip into a quick vacation. Some of my favorite artists either live in or have passed through Nashville, but I don’t think we’ll be lucky enough to catch any of them live.
Jason Isbell is a new addition to that stable of favorites. His 2017 album The Nashville Sound is one of the best I’ve heard in recent years.
My final day covering this year’s Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll takes us right to #20. We’re skipping #17, Dua Lipa’s ‘New Rules,’ because I’ve already posted it. I recently downloaded Lipa’s debut album and I’m loving it. You’ll hear more from her on the blog soon.
At #18, we have a three-way tie. One of those songs is the excellent ‘Feel It Still’ by Portugal. The Man, also previously featured here. That song would be on my personal 2017 top ten, no question.
Meet Me In Montauk 