[rating=9.00]
It’s time to consider Jason Isbell a bonafide superstar. That’s not just idle chatter, but a verified assessment given the fact that the former Drive-By Trucker is now the recipient of all sorts of critical kudos and prestigious honors, not the least of which are the pair of Grammys bestowed on him in 2016 for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song, and his consistent award winning accreditation from the Americana Music Association. With an album release like clockwork every two years, he’s established a pattern that accounts for both creativity and consistency. No single-minded auteur, he varies his tack only when it comes to tone and tenacity.
Consequently, his latest effort The Nashville Sound doesn’t exactly epitomize its title. Granted, it may suggest something similar to the modern music purveyed on the TV show of the same name, but it’s certainly not the frat boy pseudo rock that has become the commercial crux of Music Row. These songs are dryly determined, somewhat somber but with enough resolve to find a sturdy emotional bearing. Most – “Last of my Kind,” “If We Were Vampires” and “Tupelo” in particular – lean towards a mellower muse, but even so, the feistier entries like “Cumberland Gap,” “Hope the High Road” and “Molotov” have nothing on those blissful ballads when it comes to relaying both intent and intensity.
Clearly, Isbell doesn’t make a habit of circumventing his sentiments. “Haven’t been wasted in a long time, but the night is still just fine,” he declares early on, suggesting that he is indeed quite capable of coping with any obstacles tossed his way. “Anxiety, why am I never where I’m supposed to be?” he muses on “Anxiety,” but later in the song he’s forced to admit he’s a lucky man after all. A listen to the album’s closing offering, “Something To Love” confirms his contentment and passes the good thoughts forward. If he’s anxious at all, it’s likely because he’s set a high standard, and being the concerted achiever that he is, he’s rightly determined to live up to all the expectations thrust upon him.
Happily though, as The Nashville Sound affirms, Isbell’s well up to the task at hand. Ominous but embracing, it gives cause to suspect his reputation will continue to flourish just fine.
