A “New” Incredible

Several new albums have highlighted the past couple of months. These albums have stepped up to the plate and owned the ideal that “music is art.” The artists are not new, and their previous works are some of my personal favorites. That being the case, it is always exciting when some of the best set the bar even higher for themselves.

There are three albums that come to mind and one that specifically sparked the thoughts in this post. The first is Hayes Carll’s KMAG YoYo. The second is The Band of Heathens Top Hat Clown & the Clapmaster’s Son. The final, and most recent release is Jason Isbell’s Here We Rest.

On my commute to office this morning I had the latter of the two albums on shuffle and repeat for the fourth day in a row. As I was listening to the intro on Isbell’s “Daisy Mae” I realized what made this entire album so incredible to me as a listener. Often times I fall in love with a song because of the poetry in the lyrics and my ability to relate to story or lines being sung. With this song I found myself sucked into the music and instrumentals right off the bat, and I never separated from that aspect.

As I flipped to “Alabama Pines” and “We’ve Met” I noticed the same thing. Every song on this album is the same in that the music and the lyrics can stand entirely on their own and be a showcase of outstanding art. It is when each song merges the two that they become great songs and are able to assemble the incredible work of art that is Here We Rest.