Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow (2025) (Hi-Res)

Having built a devoted following and one of Americana's proudest discographies, Jason Isbell, who has already recorded several live albums, delivers his solo acoustic tour de force. Foxes in the Snow is a quietly powerful set that proves his songwriting muse shows no signs of deserting him anytime soon. The rising lines of the chorus hook in "Eileen" are supported by his always sharp observations: "It ended like it always ends/ Somebody crying on the phone/ You tell each other you can still be friends/ But you both know you're on your own." Atop a sturdy melody Isbell seems to mix imagination with his publicly shared marital struggles ("And now that I live to see my melodies betray me/ I'm sorry the love songs all mean different things today") in "Gravelweed," whose choruses test the upper limits of his vocal range. There's nowhere for Isbell to hide on these tales, which lays bare his voice and guitar playing.

"Don't Be Tough" reaches for the kind of unshakable common-sense wisdom that illuminated the truth in songs of the late John Prine, and succeeds. Another strength is Isbell's unerring poet's eye for detail as in "Crimson and Clay," another of his vivid southern gothic portraits. He sets a chilling scene: "Little noose in a locker/ Brown eyes crying in the hall/ Rebel flags on the highway/ Wooden crosses on the wall." Gena Johnson, whose extensive producing resume include albums by Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlisle, and Colter Wall produced and mixed Foxes in the Snow, which features Isbell playing a vintage 1940 Martin. Recorded at N.Y.C.'s Electric Lady Studios, the sound is uncomplicated and rightly focused on the resonance of Isbell's guitar, his deceptively elastic and expressive voice and the obvious pain in these telling, finely-drawn portraits. © Robert Baird

Tracklist
1. Bury Me (3:03)
2. Ride to Robert's (4:25)
3. Eileen (3:29)
4. Gravelweed (3:21)
5. Don't Be Tough (3:24)
6. Open and Close (2:56)
7. Foxes in the Snow (3:20)
8. Crimson and Clay (3:03)
9. Good While It Lasted (4:04)
10. True Believer (3:47)
11. Wind Behind The Rain (3:11)