The Album Review Club - Week #145 - (page 1923) - Tellin' Stories - The Charlatans

Mancitydoogle said:
week 14 JASON ISBELL - SOUTHEASTERN





Like a lot of you I listen to a lot of music and have seen a lot of artists live

So there could have a number of nominations for this

gong back to when I first really stated to listen to music in the early 70s

I don’t have the penmanship that a number of you do so my review is a bit more basic.



The first artist to really blow me away was Springsteen but I’m not going to put one of the bosses albums forward as I’m sure most of you are familiar with them.Instead I’m going for another singer song writer in the Americana genre .

I’ve listened to and owned thousands of albums though probably not as many as OB1 as music is a big passion

I’m always looking for someone new to blow me away like Springsteen

Mellencamp and Steve Earle did.

Well to me this guys the real deal.

I was going to change my pick after Bennyboy choosing the DBTs

but although in the same genre,this is a totally different album.

It’s not rock but acoustic singer songwriter

Someone who is relatively new and I’ve championed before.

Everyone of his albums is excellent in my opinion but when I first heard

‘Southeastern’ I was again blown away, the writing is excellent and the music just right for the lyrics.

Jason is not a poet like Dylan or has the imagery of Springsteen his songs are more like short

stories mostly autobiographical or metaphors for his experiences.

His songs have been used in Tv series such as Yellowstone,Billions .Sons of Anarchy ,The Affair and my guilty pleasure Nashville

He also wrote the main theme song to ‘A star is born ‘ remake.

The songs on this album cover Alcoholism, drug addiction,sobriety,Cancer, death,sexual abuse,serial killers,redemption and of course Love!



He’s a recovering Alcoholic and has been married twice, his current wife

Amanda Shires is his violinist and backing singer, she’s also an artist in her own right.

He was part of the Drive by Truckers for 3 albums before going solo and forming his band ‘The 400 Unit’





Southeastern is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jason Isbell, released on June 11, 2013 on Southeastern Records. Initially set to be produced by Isbell's friend and touring companion Ryan Adams, the album was recorded following a stint in rehab, with Isbell noting, "This time I want to remember it all."[13] Produced by Dave Cobb, the album was released to widespread critical acclaim.[14] In 2020, the album was ranked at 458 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[15]





Americana is my go to genre and I love singer song writers and listening to the lyrics,so In the main this is a quiet album mainly acoustic guitar, keyboards ,mandolin and of course Amanda’s fiddle playing giving sparse instrumentation and atmosphere to each song.

It’s not just the lyrics or his turn of phrase that impresses me so much but

the melodies and riffs are very catchy.



I won’t go through each track as it’s for the listener to experience and

take what they can, the subject matter is very personal in the main and a

number of tracks resonate with some of my own experiences.



But here’s my take on a few



COVER ME UP

opens the album a passionate song about his relationship with Amanda and how she helped him over his alcoholism

Just acoustic guitar and Amanda’s fiddle gives the song real atmosphere

ELEPHANT

not many songs make me well up but this is one sad song,it gets me

every time.

told in the 3rd person about some one he knew

It means a lot to me as I knew someone who could’ve been the subject of the song

SUPER EIGHT MOTEL

Lightens the mood, a jokey rock number and the only track with a full band.

YVETTE

A very powerful song about sexual abuse,unfortunately a lot of us hear or know of too many victims.





Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Jason Isbell.

No.TitleLength
1."Cover Me Up"4:51
2."Stockholm"2:49
3."Traveling Alone"4:27
4."Elephant"3:37
5."Flying Over Water"3:58
6."Different Days"3:34
7."Live Oak"3:35
8."Songs That She Sang in the Shower"3:56
9."New South Wales"3:53
10."Super 8"3:25
11."Yvette"4:28
12."Relatively Easy"4:45
iTunes bonus tracks

Personnel[edit]

Primary musicians[edit]

  • Jason Isbell – vocals, guitar
  • Brian Allen – bass guitar
  • Chad Gamble – drums
  • Derry deBorja – keyboards, mellotron
  • Dave Cobb – percussion
Additional musicians[edit]



It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s not a happy album but in the main

it’s different from what we’ve already had albeit in a genre we’ve had twice before.



Enjoy
Click to expand...

Nice first listen this, right up my street, a bit David Gray.
 
Very easy listening. Suits the lazy afternoons perfectly at the moment, as far as I’m concerned.
Started great, a bit of a lull in the middle.
Picked up in quality again and finishing strong.
Yvette is a lovely song.
So is Relatively Easy.

All very pleasant. I like his voice, which helps.
Tempted to jump in with a score already, but I have a feeling I’ll have this one on in the background all week.
 
Jason Isbell is an artist that I have on my to be investigated list; I do have his work with DBT.

This album is definitely on the downbeat side, which is not my preference: I would rather have more of a mix of tempos and themes.

Can't deny there are some good lyrics, which is always a bonus but I am usually more interested in the music.

Whilst "Elephant" was very poignant and I could relate it to people I have known, it somehow didn't move me - odd but maybe Xmas spirit was a counterweight.

I suspect Jason and the 400 is more my thing but this is a good album and I might even buy it one day but won't be in a rush to do so.

7/10
 
Onholiday(somemightsay) said:
Terrific write up mate - looking forward to it.

Was he the guy that Bradley Cooper's character is based on in the film?
Click to expand...
Cheers

no ‘ A Star is Born is a remake’ the fourth one I think, the previous one had Kris Kristofferson in It Bradley Cooper plays his character
i think they asked JI to write the song Which he did after reading the screen play

i you liked that type of film, watch ‘Crazy Heart’
 
I got into Jason after hearing his songs in the DBTs he does a lot of them on ‘The live from Alabama ‘ album with his full band
 
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OB1 said:
Jason Isbell is an artist that I have on my to be investigated list; I do have his work with DBT.

This album is definitely on the downbeat side, which is not my preference: I would rather have more of a mix of tempos and themes.

Can't deny there are some good lyrics, which is always a bonus but I am usually more interested in the music.

Whilst "Elephant" was very poignant and I could relate it to people I have known, it somehow didn't move me - odd but maybe Xmas spirit was a counterweight.

I suspect Jason and the 400 is more my thing but this is a good album and I might even buy it one day but won't be in a rush to do so.

7/10
Click to expand...
Try ‘ Live from Alabama’ and ‘The Nashville Sound’
 
As far as I’m concerned this is a good pick on what I imagine is a difficult week @Mancitydoogle
It may not get the listens it deserves. I could be in the same boat next week, but I think you probably have the more difficult slot.

On second listen, I feel pretty much the same. I think the first four songs are very strong, but it started to lose my interest a little bit. I think the reason may be that it nearly strays out of country and into country and western but just about manages not to.
I think in country there definitely is an element of never being happier than when they are making you miserable and country and western just brings it to parody level and I have little to no time for it.

However like the other day, Songs That She Sings In The Shower, pulls me back strongly and the follow up, New South Wales, maintains my interest.

Personally I haven’t warmed to Super 8, as I kind of see it as totally out of synch with the album. Variation is good, but I don’t know if it is adding anything.

Yvette and Relatively Easy bring a strong finish to the album. I like both of them.

This album will be played all this week in my house and I’ll be interested to see what my mate thinks of it when he and his wife come around tomorrow evening. It’s an album that is easy enough listening to play in the background with company.

You have me really thinking about my own choice for next week, as what I have been listening to has been quite downbeat. I think this album is very good but is bordering on the depressing at times, whereas a couple of albums I’m considering are slow, melancholic, even sombre at times but always melodic and I find them offering a hope and comfort rather than being depressing. I just don’t know if this place would be ready for two similar paced albums in a row.
 
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