"Bleeding, naked, verdant"

Usually, artists separate their Divorce Album from their New Girlfriend Album. Not so for Jason Isbell.

On Foxes in the Snow, Isbell reckons with the end of his 11-year marriage to bandmate Amanda Shires while also gushing, often giddily, about a new flame. Sometimes, he intertwines the two threads in a single song—see “True Believer” or “Good While It Lasted.” It’s whiplash-inducing in the best way: heartache and honeymoon in a single breath.

In an era that often feels starved for real songwriting, Isbell goes back to basics: one Martin 0-17 acoustic guitar, five days of recording, eleven songs written over the past year. And it works.

At times, the album is jarringly literal:

•  “All your girlfriends say I broke your fucking heart and I don’t like it.”

• “I love her mouth / I love the way she turns the lights off in her house.” 

At others, it’s hauntingly metaphorical:

• "Thеy leave drops of blood like foxes in the snow"

• "Like the stain on your teeth, I'm as stubborn as wine 

For a week straight, I woke up each morning with one of these songs stuck in my head. The centerpiece, True Believer, lands the album’s most gutting line: "I'm sorry the love songs all mean different things today."

Oof. How arrogant do you have to be to assume people are sitting around, emotionally invested in your love life?

And yet… he's not wrong. Anyone who’s been moved by Cover Me Up—Isbell’s gorgeous ode to redemption through love and commitment—is left holding some claim to an apology. 

Speaking of arrogance: Isbell recently quipped that you don’t go to Electric Lady Studios in New York “unless you are confident you are making a contribution to humanity.” Like it or not, he’s not wrong there, either.

Other tidbits:

• Jason Isbell Has a New Album and a New Girlfriend (link)

• Ride to Robert's live on The Tonight Show (link)

• Crimson and Clay live at The Capital Theater (link)

• "I want people to understand that I believe there’s still always a reason to commit to something. Whether it’s a person or a belief or a way of life. The process of committing yourself is so much more valuable than how it turns out." 

"heartbreak in hi-def"

Like Dijon meets Billie Eilish—if they recorded at Sun Records. 

Saya's debut has a retro hiss, but the songwriting is sharp and contemporary. 

She drops some great zingers:

• "She might look like me...she won't feel like me"

• "If you don't like me know, you're gonna hate me later"

Check the Tiny Desk concert, especially the final track. Saya could easily be one of the breakout artists of the year.

"Clean, family, friendly."

The Mandolin Maestro. 

Sierra's songwriting and her singing have never quite captured me to the same degree as her plucking. 

My fav album she's released to date. It holds together—more than her previous releases—thanks in large part to a seasoned band that moves together.

Still, it’s the mandolin that steals the show. As always.