VIA PRESS RELEASE | New West Records is set to release Jason Isbell’s Sirens Of The Ditch (Deluxe Edition) on July 13th, 2018. Originally released in 2007, Isbell’s solo debut was met with critical acclaim upon its release with SPIN calling it “…a gorgeously whiskey-soaked country-soul masterpiece,” American Songwriter declaring it, “…a decadent debut,” and Pitchfork stating that it was “…a strong debut full of the kind of confident, charismatic songwriting that just can’t be taught.”
Co-produced by Isbell and his former Drive-By Truckers bandmate, Patterson Hood, Sirens Of The Ditch was recorded at the legendary FAME recording studio (Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett) in Isbell’s hometown of Muscle Shoals, AL. “A lot of old soul musicians came through here in the late ‘60s and ‘70s and helped define the Muscle Shoals sound, so that influence was always in my environment, but on this record I really tried to capture that,” Isbell stated in the album’s original press release.
On Sirens Of The Ditch (Deluxe Edition), Isbell is joined by Brad Morgan of the Drive-By Truckers on drums, and former Drive-By Truckers member, Shonna Tucker on bass. Several musicians pop in for cameos including the iconic Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section players David Hood (Patterson’s Father) and Spooner Oldham on “Down In A Hole,” John Neff of Drive-By Truckers on “Dress Blues,” and Patterson Hood on “Shotgun Wedding.”
Sirens Of The Ditch (Deluxe Edition) features four previously unreleased songs from the original sessions at FAME, bringing the new, expanded track listing to 15 total songs. NPR Music premiered two of the unreleased tracks, including the Patterson Hood penned “The Assassin,” which Isbell performs in concert to this day, and “Whisper.”
They state, “Sirens Of the Ditch crackles with life and heart, setting the stage for the remarkable material to follow,” and comment on the unreleased tracks, “Notably, both fit seamlessly alongside the singer’s later songs about stumbling hard and finding saviors on the road to peace and redemption.”
Sirens Of The Ditch (Deluxe Edition) will be available across digital platforms, on compact disc, as well as 180g vinyl. There will also be a limited, clear vinyl LP version available at Independent Retailers. Sirens Of The Ditch (Deluxe Edition) is now available for pre-order via New West Records.
Sirens Of The Ditch (Deluxe Reissue) Track Listing:
1. Brand New Kind Of Actress
2. Down In A Hole
3. Try
4. Chicago Promenade
5. Dress Blues
6. Grown
7. Hurricanes and Hand Grenades
8. In A Razor Town
9. Shotgun Wedding
10. The Magician
11. The Devil Is My Running Mate
12. Whisper (Previously Unreleased)
13. Crystal Clear (Previously Unreleased)
14. The Assassin (Previously Unreleased)
15. Racetrack Romeo (Previously Unreleased)
