Southeastern

Jason Isbell - Southeastern
Critic Score
Based on 13 reviews
2013 Ratings: #19 / 1115
User Score
Based on 246 ratings
2013 Rank: #60
Liked by 21 people
June 11, 2013 / Release Date
LP / Format
Thirty Tigers / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

91
A.V. Club

For the first time since his 2007 solo debut, Sirens Of The Ditch, listeners are able to hear an unfiltered representation of this Alabamian prodigy, and the results are so stellar it’s not hyperbole to say that he could be his generation’s answer to Steve Earle.  

90
PopMatters

It’s a poignant, reflective, and very often frank portrayal of humanity’s dual impulses authored by someone who has lived several chapters, yet knows the story is constantly being rewritten.

90
Paste

It’s the most potent expression to date of Isbell’s talent (including his DBT output) and, hopefully, a harbinger of great things to come.

90
American Songwriter
This album is harrowing and not for the timid, but those who stick with it will be treated to a truthful, moving journey and a master class in songwriting to boot.
80
AllMusic

It is, quite frankly, Isbell's best solo album thus far.

80
SPIN

The music is secondary. Isbell is among the finest lyricists working today, excelling at wordplay in the purest sense of the term, finding the music in language, how it sounds and flows and fits within the surrounding sounds

80
The Line of Best Fit

The result of his efforts is a celebration of the strength of his character and like his personal journey, Southeastern is story full of meaning and it commands the listener’s full attention.

80
Uncut
It's Isbell's best album yet, and suggests that he'll do better still.
80
Mojo
What makes the album itself addictive is Isbell's fusing of gothic Memphis blues and Nashville tenderness.
77
Pitchfork

Southeastern is easily Isbell’s best solo album-- his most richly conceived and generously written.

70
Rolling Stone
Here, he mostly dials back the volume to plumb heavy emotions.
lankmachine
70

Reviewing Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: #458

Overrated/Underrated?: Overrated

Jason Isbell is one of those artists that I tried for years to get into but I never quite got into. I really enjoy a handful of songs (like 24 Frames for example, which is a devastating song) but I've never found an album I enjoy too much by him.

Still, there's something admirable about Isbell's music. I've written in previous reviews about how I think there was a revolution of sorts within ... read more

melencholysumme
92

ROLLING STONE #458
this came directly from his heart, and it’s filled with his emotions. everything came together, the instrumentals were amazing, his songwriting was impeccable, and the rawness in his voice strengthened the album’s concept
fav: elephant
least fav: super 8
overall: 9.2/10

Doofy
84

The album where Isbell upped the gravitas and the rawness of emotion, delivering the most personal sounding performances of his career so far.

'Southeastern' reveals a maturity to his song writing that's disarming and this is the moment he not only overtakes, but speeds away from his old band's output of the same era.

Classic songs like 'Travelling Alone', 'Elephant' and 'Different Days' sound perfect in intention and execution; tracks that finally could hold their own among the American ... read more

Axelds
89

Breaks my heart, throw it against a wall, but in the end he covers it with a blanket, which makes it all okay. Love this man

kineticsocks
73

Damn I didn't know country music was allowed to be good in the 21st century

Dinosaurbonez
80

A deeply personal record with incredible storytelling

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Track List

1Cover Me Up
4:53
90
2Stockholm
2:51
86
3Traveling Alone
4:29
84
4Elephant
3:39
89
5Flying over Water
4:00
83
6Different Days
3:36
84
7Live Oak
3:37
83
8Songs That She Sang in the Shower
3:58
84
9New South Wales
3:55
81
10Super 8
3:27
76
11Yvette
4:30
85
12Relatively Easy
4:45
86
Total Length: 47 minutes
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Added on: May 14, 2013