Fans of the Drive-By Truckers know Jason Isbell as a singer-songwriter for those acclaimed practitioners of modern Southern rock Drive-By Truckers. Isbell ditched the Truckers for solo album SIRENS OF THE DITCH in 2007, but the subsequent LIVE AT TWIST & SHOUT EP marked the first recorded appearance of his post-Truckers band, the 400 Unit. The six-song disc finds Isbell's band offering more nuanced backing than the Truckers, better befitting his troubadour approach, as he tackles everything from Truckers tunes like “Outfit” to Van Morrison's MOONDANCE classic “Into the Mystic.” The sound's not a million miles from Isbell's former band, of course--it's still earthy, twang-laden Americana, after all--but it nevertheless represents a distinct progression.

Rovi