Generally speaking, sensitive singer-songwriter guys aren't really my thing these days, but Jason Isbell's Southeastern has cracked that surface and taken hold of me a bit, its mix of alt-country balladeering, laments and rockier moments nicely hitting the spot.
Isbell sings in a voice that's rich and warm while also carrying a pleasing scratchiness that complements his carefully observed vignettes, and there's a nice sense of 'just-enoughness' to the arrangements; I particularly like the fiddle wherever it appears. I wouldn't say I have a favourite, but I do like "Cover Me Up" and "Travelling Alone" (the fiddle's particularly effective on this one, providing mournful folky accents), the anthemic (and electric-guitars-out) "Flying Over Water" and slow-burn mid-tempo piece "Songs That She Sang In The Shower" (actually maybe that one's my favourite ... and the songs that she sang in the shower all ring in my ear / Like Wish You Were Here / How I wish you were here ... ).
Isbell sings in a voice that's rich and warm while also carrying a pleasing scratchiness that complements his carefully observed vignettes, and there's a nice sense of 'just-enoughness' to the arrangements; I particularly like the fiddle wherever it appears. I wouldn't say I have a favourite, but I do like "Cover Me Up" and "Travelling Alone" (the fiddle's particularly effective on this one, providing mournful folky accents), the anthemic (and electric-guitars-out) "Flying Over Water" and slow-burn mid-tempo piece "Songs That She Sang In The Shower" (actually maybe that one's my favourite ... and the songs that she sang in the shower all ring in my ear / Like Wish You Were Here / How I wish you were here ... ).
