As a person that attempts to write fiction from time to time, it's daunting when you come across such a strong storyteller like Jason Isbell. You kind of evaluate your own work and go wow, this guy really puts me to shame. I remember the first time I heard his lyrics on The Drive-By Truckers album Southern Rock Opera and had to literally replay it all over again right then. I was stunned in how much depth a person can have in their story telling in under five minutes.
Anyhow, let's talk about Southeastern which happens to be the new album from Jason Isbell. It's a heartbreaking piece of poetry. It has a glimmer of happiness in there but it reminds me of how fragile life is and what's really important. Isbell used to create stories about the world he grew up in and the southern culture that surrounded him but this time around it's even more personal. You can tell each song is cut really close to the vest. My personal favorite is "Relatively Easy" and "Traveling Alone." Both have a nice dark romantic edge that everyone can relate to. This ain't pop folks, this is southern folk rock at it's best.
"Elephant" is one heavy song. Isbell cuts straight to the bullshit with statements like, "there's one thing that is real clear to me, no one dies with dignity, we just try to ignore the elephant some how." There's real no point in dissecting this song. Just listen to him sing it live and if you're not compelled to pick up the album, then not sure I can help you, man.
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