Ranking Jason Isbell’s Discography

If you’re an old man, shouting at the clouds about how modern music isn’t the same as it was in your heyday, you’ll probably enjoy the Americana of Jason Isbell. Isbell’s music could have been made any time in the last fifty years. From Alabama, the soul sound of Muscle Shoals is in Isbell’s musical DNA. He’s also comparable to legendary songwriters like John Prine (who mentored Isbell) and Bruce Springsteen.

Isbell emerged as a member of the Drive-By Truckers, serving as lead guitarist and third songwriter beside Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. He attracted attention with songs like ‘Outfit’, written about his father’s advice upon joining the band, and ‘Decoration Day’.

Isbell left the Drive-By Truckers in 2007, embarking on a solo career. But his early albums weren’t convincing, and he didn’t come into his own as a solo artist until a 2012 stint in rehab and his marriage to fellow songwriter Amanda Shires.

Here are Isbell’s nine solo albums of original material, ranked from worst to best.

Jason Isbell Albums Ranked

#9 Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit

2009
Isbell’s second solo album is his first with his backing band, The 400 Unit. It’s also his least enjoyable record, the sound of a talented songwriter phoning it in.

Even the best songs, like the punchy ‘How Long’, would merely serve as minor highlights on his stronger records. The extended versions of the record feature a cover of Big Star’s ‘When My Baby’s Beside Me’.

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#8 Here We Rest

2011
Isbell spent more time at home in Alabama, not touring, than he had for a decade. His home state informed his third album – he drew characters from conversations with locals. The title Here We Rest references a reconstruction-era state slogan. Here We Rest marks the first appearance of Amanda Shires on an Isbell record.

Isbell’s songs are still inconsistent on Here We Rest. But there’s strong material, particularly the graceful and nostalgic ‘Alabama Pines’ and the solo, acoustic ‘Daisy Mae’. I also enjoy the Southern soul of ‘Heart on a String’.

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#7 Sirens of the Ditch

2007
Isbell recorded his debut album at Muscle Shoals in Alabama. He’s accompanied by legends like Spooner Oldham and bassist David Hood (the father of Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood). It’s the most agreeably raw of Ibell’s solo releases.

The rocker ‘Brand New Kind of Actress’ recounts the Phil Spector murder trial. Other highlights include the piano-driven ‘Chicago Promenade’ and the blue-eyed soul of ‘Hurricanes and Hand Grenades’.

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#6 Reunions

2020
Isbell settles into a comfortable groove on his seventh studio album. With the 400 Unit, he delivers contemplative acoustic songs and roaring rockers. Isbell released Reunions during the COVID pandemic. To support independent retailers, it appeared in record shops a week before it appeared on streaming services.

‘Overseas’ is a great rocker but the acoustic songs are the highlights. Isbell chronicles his relationship with his daughter on ‘Letting You Go’, while ‘River’ is pretty.

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#5 Foxes in the Snow

2025
Foxes in the Snow chronicles a time of transition in Isbell’s life. He divorced Shires and started a relationship with artist Anna Weyant. Foxes in the Snow is entirely solo. Isbell recorded at Electric Ladyland studios in five days, playing a 1940 Martin guitar.

Isbell’s a strong enough guitarist to keep Foxes in the Snow entertaining. The songs that deal directly with his divorce are the most harrowing. It’s perhaps a relief that he didn’t record an entire album of songs like ‘True Believer’, where he sings “There’s a letter on the nightstand/I don’t think I’ll ever read”.

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#4 The Nashville Sound

2017
After two singer-songwriter albums, Isbell reunited with The 400 Unit for The Nashville Sound. The Nashville Sound was Isbell’s first album after fatherhood, and his daughter opened his eyes to the state of the world. Isbell told Esquire “I’m documenting my eyes being opened to differences, not just with gender, but race and a lot of other things.”

I prefer Isbell as a singer-songwriter, but The Nashville Sound features some fine tracks. The outspoken Southern Democrat expresses his political views on ‘White Man’s World’ and ‘Hope The High Road’.

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#3 Something More Than Free

2015
Isbell’s previous album, Southeastern, was full of personal songs. On Something More Than Free, Isbell writes like Springsteen, documenting the lives of underdog, blue-collar folks in the heartland.

While Something More Than Free is a singer-songwriter album at heart, with character portraits like the title track, there’s propulsion behind ’24 Frames’ and ‘The Life You Chose’.

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#2 Weathervanes

2023
Isbell finds the perfect balance between the rootsy rock of the 400 Unit and his insight and empathy as a singer-songwriter on Weathervanes. Isbell wrote the songs while starring in Martin Scorsese’s 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon.

It features riff rockers like ‘This Ain’t It’ and pretty acoustic tunes like ‘White Beretta’ and ‘Strawberry Women’. The standout track, ‘King of Oklahoma’, splits the difference. It’s tough and heartfelt.

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#1 Southeastern

2013
Isbell became sober in 2012 and the results were immediate – a stronger, more focused, and more personal batch of songs. Southeastern was intended as an entirely solo album, with just Isbell’s voice and guitar, but some tracks feature fuller arrangements.

My favourites include the rocker ‘Flying Over Water’ and the contemplative ‘Relatively Easy’. But the most acclaimed track is the chronicle of a cancer battle on ‘Elephant’.

Are you an Isbell fan? Do you have a favourite album?

Read More:

• Jason Isbell album reviews
• Worst to Best lists