Something More Than Free by Jason Isbell

What's that? You mean, not only did I just review a pop album, but now I'm reviewing a country album? Yeah, you heard right.

Jason Isbell is a singer songwriter who rose to fame as a member of alternative-country/southern rock band Drive-by Truckers. DBT gained much of their popularity due to their ability to blend country influence and elements with a much different style than heard with mainstream country rock, and because of this saw a very good amount of exposure and success while still remaining partially unknown to country fans. Isbell joined the group in 2001, and stayed until 2007 when he split from the band and began to focus on his solo work.

Something More Than Free is the fifth studio album released by Isbell, and is his second release with Southeastern Records. The album kicks off with the upbeat If It Takes a Lifetime and the folk influence in his music is made immediately evident. My biggest gripe with the majority of mainstream country rock is the reliance on lyrics that concern themselves with much of the same party, woman, drugs mindset that we also see in mainstream pop music. While Isbell explores those themes in the first song on the record, he does so while providing a prospective on the life he has lived, and the lyrics feature a perfect combination of self-loathing, sadness, and hope for the future.

That same theme is carried out for the length on the album, while on some tracks the approach changes from upbeat old-school honky tonk country to quiet and sparse acoustic instrumentation, it all seems somewhat connected through the story that Isbell is telling. On the second track, Jason Isbell discusses his divorce, and how it allowed him to discover what truly matters in his life, a fairly typical concept in country music. Ironically, the song following this up is Flagship, which is a song of love, where Isbell delivers what I consider to be his most emotionally chilling song on the whole LP, as he makes promises of all he'll do to keep his lover.

The next track, How To Forget is one of the more folky takes on the project, and contains lyrics that you won't find on your run of the mill country album, as Isbell's ability to blend story telling with things like imagery and symbolism is on display throughout this song in particular. Up next is Children of Children, which discusses teen pregnancy and the difficulties that come along with having a child at a young age.

The seventh track Something More Than Free is an interesting cut for me, because it seems as if the topic matter is satirical in some ways. Isbell tells the story of a man who is poor, but works hard every day, and while he isn't payed well, he's thankful for work. With lines like "I'll wrestle off my clothes, and leave em' inside the door, cause nobody's home to know" and "Sunday morning I'm too tired to go to Church" it appears that he's discussing the idea that there's more to life than just working a job and making money.

The story telling in the ninth track Hudson Commodore makes for another interesting song, as the story details the life and struggles of a mother during the great depression. Palmetto Rose follows, and the tenth track features elements of rockabilly and old school rock n' roll as the distorted guitar and bluesy riff is a nice little change of pace in the intro of the song. The closer on this album, To A Band That I Loved, a slow paced piece that seems to reflect on his time as a member of Drive-by Truckers. It's a very good track to go out on, and has me wondering if we'll ever see Isbell reunited with his former bandmates.

Something More Than Free surprised me more than I ever expected. I'm not a fan of country rock, and I'm not too shy to let that be known. However, because I've enjoyed alt-country acts like Wilco and Bright Eyes, I was curious about the newest release by Isbell, and decided to check it out. It was definitely a good idea, as it's helped show me just how good the country genre can be when it's executed correctly. With this being said, it can still at times feel a little repetitive, and some of the songs fail to stand out as well as the best cuts. Despite that, it's still certainly worth a listen, and could certainly help change your perspective on the genre.

Rating: B

Favorite Tracks: If It Takes A Lifetime, 24 Frames, Flagship, Children of Children, Something More Than Free

Least Favorite Tracks: The Life You Choose, Speed Trap Town