JASON ISBELL
Sirens of the Ditch
New West
· No longer a part of the Drive-Bys, Jason Isbell still isn’t your average trucker.
Jason Isbell may have left the Drive-By Truckers behind to pursue a solo career, but he hasn’t left his southern-fried sensibilities behind. Sirens of the Ditch will be a comfortable fit for DBT fans. Much like their critically praised albums Southern Rock Opera and Dirty South, Sirens is stacked with the kind of grungy country-rock tunes that would make Lynyrd Skynyrd blush.
Isbell, who shared writing duties on DBT albums, demonstrates a little more variety than on previous efforts. The piano-driven "Chicago Promenade" is one of the album’s highlights and is followed by the acoustic "Dress Blues," both of which are unlike anything Isbell provided for his old band. "Hurricanes and Hand Grenades" could be a perfectly ass-kicking political tune, but instead, Isbell deftly uses political imagery as the backdrop for a sweet love song. This guy is good.
Sirens of the Ditch isn’t likely to dominate the charts this summer, but it is another notch in Isbell’s already impressive belt.
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