Acclaimed four-time Grammy winner, singer-songwriter Jason Isbell follows-up the immense success of 2015’s Something More Than Free and 2017’s The Nashville Sound with Reunions – another set of earnest songs that brings to mind a loner forced to contemplate and come to terms with past failures and frustrations. In Isbell’s words, “There are a lot of ghosts on this album. Sometimes the songs are about the ghosts of people who aren’t around anymore, but they’re also about who I used to be, the ghost of myself. I found myself writing songs that I wanted to write fifteen years ago, but in those days, I hadn’t written enough songs to know how to do it yet. Just now have I been able to pull it off to my own satisfaction. In that sense it’s a reunion with the me I was back then.” Like the three previous albums, Reunions is produced by Dave Cobb and recorded in Nashville with his superb band the 400 Unit: Derry deBorja (piano, keyboard, organ, omnichord), Chad Gamble (drums, tambourine), Jimbo Hart (bass), Amanda Shires (fiddle), and Sadler Vaden (acoustic guitar, electric guitar). Reunion also includes background vocals from special guests like David Crosby (Crosby, Stills & Nash; The Byrds) who sings on “What I’ve Done to Help” and “Only Children.” Notable tracks include: the healing opening track “What’ve I Done to Help”; the tender ode to a dead friend on “Only Children”; the sad melodic single “Dreamsicle”; the socio/political statement about lost jobs in “Overseas”; a cautionary tale about the temptations of stardom on “Be Afraid”; the broken trust of “Running With Our Eyes Closed”; the calls for the courage to be sober “It Gets Easier”; the beautifully melancholy “St. Peter’s Autograph”; and the touching tribute to Isbell’s wife and closing song “Letting You Go.” Jason Isbell’s Reunions finds him at the top of his game with a near perfect album. One of my favorites of the year so far. – Written by JFelton
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