Honest, if not always factual
Jason Isbell has said in previous interviews that what he likes about writing songs is that he is not bound by facts.
Whether he is writing about his own struggle and recovery from alcohol addiction or a relationship or a historic event, he realizes no one is going to check his facts. That doesn’ t mean the song doesn’t have to ring true or feel honest.
“Well, it depends on what you are writing about,” he says in a recent phone conversation.
“With a song like ‘Dress Blues’ [from his solo debut ‘ Sirens of the Ditch’], I wanted to get as many of those details right because I was telling the story of someone, one particular person, who’d actually lived. That’s more to honor the subject. I don’t necessarily think it makes the song a better song.
“It might, when coupled with how the song was actually written, might make for a better experience for the listener.”
But music history is filled with songs that feel factual, but maybe are not.
“I think about a song like ‘ Pancho & Lefty.’ That’s one of the greatest songs ever written, but Townes Van Zandt by all accounts, was not really much of a cowboy. He grew up in a pretty affluent family. He wound up having a lot of horses and enjoying that kind of lifestyle, but he never had to live that life and he was still able to write a song that was beautiful — and partially because of the mystery. Nowhere in that song do they ever meet each other. It could have been two separate stories.
“I think the fact that he was never really trying to make a direct connection makes that song work out.”
And, he adds, “Johnny Cash never went to prison.”
“I’m not out to create any image other than honesty,” he says. “You can be honest without telling the truth.”
Gillian Welch is another example. When she came on the scene performing her bluegrass, Appalachia- influenced Americana songs, some questioned whether her California upbringing and Berklee degree disqualified her from singing about life in the hills and hollows.
“She’s a master at writing about things that concern her,” Isbell says. “If you are smart enough and do your research, you can write about anything you want.”
Isbell is certainly qualified to comment on such things. He has been writing memorable songs since his days with the Drive-By Truckers. Since 2007, he’s been writing and performing as a solo artist or with his band, the 400 Unit.
The band has been in the studio recording its next album, which Isbell says should be out by early July. He has just finished the master recordings and says he is happy with the songs.
“I’d still be in the studio if I wasn’t,” he says. “I think it sounds great. I’m still real close to it, and I’ve heard everything over and over, so a little distance might give me a different perspective. I think the songs are well-written. I think it’s strong. I know I put a lot of work into it, and everybody else did as well.”
Longtime collaborator Dave Cobb again did the production and much of the arranging. Cobb is someone Isbell trusts and respects, and having that second voice is a big benefit, he says.
“His strong suits are his instincts and arrangements. It’s harder to say something is finished when I was producing or co-producing.
“I trust Dave and have a lot of reason to trust him after the last album [‘Southeastern’].”
Isbell laughingly says the “jury is still out” on whether he should have accepted the invitation from a seemingly unaware producer at “The Voice” who sent him an invitation last year to try out for the show.
“It was funny, and flattering I guess. I don’t think I’m above it.”