Here We Rest is the second album from Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, and Isbell s third since parting ways with the Drive-By Truckers. An Alabama native, Isbell comes from a tradition of Southern music, and from the playing to the arrangements to the lyrical depth of emotion on display, it is apparent here.
This platter is a scorcher, with rich Southern soul vibe coaxed from the if-walls-could-talk confines of Muscle Shoals Fame Studios. Isbell's thoughtful songwriting and warm, soulful voice shine through in his songs and are nicely augmented by the 400 Unit - keyboardist Derry deBorja, guitarist Browan Lollar, drummer Chad Gamble and bassist Jimbo Hart.
Lyrically, this album is concerned with relationships, whether between a man and a woman, between a father and son, or between a man and his own past. The album explores this theme from multiple angles. The characters that populate Here We Rest are wrung out, often finding themselves on the outside of the life they once knew. Isbell’s turf has been hit especially hard in the recent economic downturn, and the mood of these songs is considerably dark.
Jason Isbell has assembled an impressive catalog, from his work with Drive By Truckers, to his "solo" albums, and this is another dependable entry, simply a collection of good songs, written and performed by people who are in it for the music, and it shows.
ALABAMA PINES
CODEINE
GO IT ALONE
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