Foxes in the Snow

Ever since Jason Isbell jumped out of the gate as a songwriter and guitarist on the Drive-By Truckers 2003 album Decoration Day -- where the new kid landed two songwriting credits, including the stunning title track -- the man hasnt been afraid to show what he can do. Once Isbell found his feet as a solo artist with 2013s Southeastern, his track record has been peerless, with each LP building on the excellence of the last as he refined his talents as a guitarist, songwriter, bandleader, and producer. After delivering another unqualified triumph with 2023s eloquent and brilliantly crafted Weathervanes, 2025s Foxes in the Snow is a bit of a surprise. For this project, Isbell has given his band the 400 Unit a break, and the 11 songs feature just the songwriter and his acoustic guitar, without any audible overdubs or trickery, presenting the material in its most intimate form. It would be easy to see this as Isbell taking a breather while still delivering new product, knocking out a few acoustic tracks while he maps out his next "real" album, but thats not how it plays. He uses the simplicity of his presentation on Foxes in the Snow with canny intelligence, presenting a set of songs about the peaks and valleys of relationships with an intimacy that allows all their shadings to be plainly visible. It may or may not be significant that Foxes in the Snow is Isbells first album since he and his wife and collaborator Amanda Shires announced they were splitting up, but these songs often speak of love thats strong and lasting while also sounding rueful, as if he knows hes singing in the past tense and hes celebrating a relationship thats run its course. Whatever the context, it doesnt change the heart, soul, and gentle intensity of songs like "Ride to Roberts," "Gravelweed," and the title track, and "Dont Be Tough" is a wise litany of lessons learned the hard way. (And "Good While It Lasted" is as compassionate a breakup song as youre likely to find.) Foxes in the Snow gives Isbell a chance to show off his abilities as a vocalist and guitarist with no distraction; it turns out hes every bit as adept with an acoustic as he is with an electric, and he shares his stories with a masters touch. Jason Isbell is a singer and songwriter who is never afraid to do the work to make his music something special, and even when hes performing in stripped-down fashion, he delivers great songs and the commitment to make them special. Anyone who questions that hasnt heard Foxes in the Snow. ~ Mark Deming