Feeling like an extended exhale, Jason Isbell’s new album Foxes in the Snow represents the best and most vulnerable of Isbell’s solo career. With his mastery of a blended folk-Americana sound, the eleven tracks candidly explore his innermost emotions. I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys genres like folk, acoustic, and singer-songwriter. Isbell’s style is also in the realm of popular artists such as Zach Bryan, so if you are a fan of his, give Jason Isbell a try.
Across the album, Isbell’s soulful voice and meticulous guitar arrangements are the sole instruments. As a longtime fan of Isbell, I tend to lean toward his repertoire with the 400 Unit, his backing band since 2009; however, with this latest album, I have recognized the uniqueness in the simple duo of singer and guitar. While enjoyable, Isbell’s work with the 400 Unit leans into a hard hitting rock-style, resulting in a lack of connection with the listener amidst the ensemble of instruments and vocalists. So, the various songs in this album featuring acapella, such as “Bury Me,” allow Isbell to truly reveal himself. Listeners can directly interact with Isbell’s deepest thoughts as he vocalizes his battles with divorce, substance abuse, and cultural shifts in America. As Isbell discussed in an interview with SPIN this past March, he believes that “when you’re being this open and this vulnerable, there’s something about doing it alone,” he says. “Even though you know that the results are going to get broadcast to everybody, there’s something about sitting with a guitar and singing a song that makes sense to me when it’s this personal.”
Personally, I connected most with the eighth track on the album: “Crimson and Clay.” Isbell enlivens stories of his Alabama hometown through detailed observations and tender memories of childhood. Diving head first into his most intimate thoughts and struggles, Isbell also reveals his deepest vulnerabilities. In the second verse, he details the ambivalence of moving out of a small town as he cries out: “The thing that nearly took me out was loneliness and alcohol/ And I just put it down and walked away/ And crawled back to the crimson and the clay.” My other favorites on the album include: “Eileen,” “True Believer,” and “Ride to Roberts.”
I’m confident that this album will earn recognition in the award cycle next year. It would not be Isbell’s first award, however. In fact, among his thirteen career albums, Isbell has won six Grammys out of eight nominations. His most recent win was in 2024 for “Best American Roots Song” and “Best Americana Album” for his featured track, “Cast Iron Skillet” on Weathervanes.
To promote his album, Isbell has been on tour since March and will continue across the country into early November. He has also featured the album in performances at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY and on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
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