He walked with complete purpose. Every step pulled at the thinly carpeted floors making a squeaking noise under his unevenly-worn heels. It seemed every question he asked, I had to respond to with an “I’ve never done that.” The gap between my six years of experience and his thirty years, felt like the Grand Canyon. However, this man who would soon become my mentor…a man they called “Country Gary” never let me get lost in the canyon. He happily shared everything that he’d learned over the years. About the work we were doing, about his failed relationships, and about the price difference in a square bale of hay versus round. Over the next five or six years working with Country Gary, I learned to walk with purpose to keep up. To listen and to laugh off the pressures of daily life and those around me who’d try to push me around…because as Country Gary would say, “They can bark, but they can’t eat you.”
Jason Isbell’s latest album Something More Than Free covers a lot of ground. It’s as if he’s briskly walking and telling you a story at the same time. Sometimes you have to step up the pace, but he never leaves you far behind. Dare I say there’s an excitement and hopefulness in his delivery that hasn’t always been prevalent on past albums. The very first track “If It Takes a Lifetime” clearly delivers the message that life isn’t easy, but that’s no reason to let it get you down. You remember the good, forget the bad and keep working towards the day you finally find a pair of shoes that fit your oddly-shaped feet just right. The overall feel of this song sets the tone for an album that deals with far less darker imagery of his last album Southeastern.
Isbell has always been great at placement of descriptive storytelling within the framework of a verse-verse-bridge-chorus. However, on Something More Than Free it feels as if some of the stories are longer, richer, deeper. The terrific instrumentation always seems to find a way to support and not get in the way of the storylines. Take for example the Neil Young-tinged song “Children of Children” that comes to a close with beautifully soaring strings that reach out to pull into focus an image of a young mother standing near a field of corn. Long, dark green leaves of the corn stalks wave back at his memory as drums pop like gunfire and doves scatter. Isbell sings, “I was riding on my Mother’s hip. She was shorter than the corn. And all the years I took from her just by being born.” Brilliant.
As with his past work, Isbell spends plenty of time digging into the complicated ups and downs of relationships. How sometimes love becomes stagnant as in the song “Flagship” or you’re just making it through the day to day grind as in “The Life You Chose.” Its Jason Isbell’s ability to observe the details, reflect and then tell a vivid story that cuts to the dang heart of the things that set him apart from many others. I get chills when his worn tenor voice rips into the air like a flag thrown and twirls back down to earth. As a long-time fan, I love that he’s found a way to move forward while maintaining his distinctive style. When Southeastern was released, I told friends I thought it was the highest point in Isbell ’s career. Something More Than Free pushes further and totally makes me realize that he’s not done. If this is the first time listening to Jason Isbell, dig into his earlier albums as all are super great. Plus, I would highly recommend seeing him live or at least watch his Austin City Limits performance paying attention to the tightness of his band that is filled with talented players.
Rating: 5/5