accomplished guitarist and songwriter jason isbell, formerly of the drive by truckers, releases his debut solo album 'sirens of the ditch', on new west records. elements of rock, blues and soul are evident in the 11 diverse songs, all penned by isbell. from the rock driven opener brand new kind of actress to the tender dress blues isbells gift for song writing and striking lyrics is apparent. listeners caught glimpses of isbells skills on drive by truckers records with tracks like danko / manuel and outfit. 'sirens of the ditchs' mystical quality can be partially attributed to the fame recording studio (aretha franklin, duane allman, otis redding) in isbells hometown of muscle shoals, al where the album was recorded. a lot of old soul musicians came through here in the late 60s and helped define the muscle shoals sound. 'sirens of the ditch' features isbell singing lead vocals and playing guitar throughout, joined by shonna tucker (drive by truckers) on bass and brad morgan (drive by truckers) on drums. several musicians pop in for cameos including spooner oldham and david hood (pattersons father) on down in a hole, john neff (drive by truckers) on dress blues and patterson himself guests onshotgun wedding.Get a free New West / RT exclusive cd sampler while stocks last.
