Trucker hits the highway

(UPDATED BELOW)

I didn't discover the Drive-By Truckers until after Jason Isbell had joined the group. I do love their older stuff, but for my money, some of their finest work came with Isbell filling the third-guitar, third-songwriter role alongside Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley. I mean, if you don't get a lump in your throat listening to "Outfit," or chills down your spine listening to "Decoration Day," or a hop in your step listening to "The Day John Henry Died," I don't know what to tell you.

That's why I was dismayed to learn that Isbell had left the group this spring and was venturing out on his own. All sides are reporting the split as a mutual decision with much love and handshakes all around, but I can't imagine everything was quite that cozy. After all, his now ex-wife, Shonna Tucker, is the Truckers' bassist, and she's still in the band. Can you say awkward?

Still, Isbell clearly has the talent to front his own band, and he shows that off with his first solo effort, Sirens of the Ditch, released earlier this month on New West Records. It's less Southern-fried rock than the Truckers' stuff, more of a power-pop feel with some twang. He also tries his hand at blues ("Hurricanes and Hand Grenades") and dark introspection ("The Devil is My Running Mate"), and a great greasy slide through some twisted characters ("Down in a Hole") that would have fit in nicely on the next Truckers' disc.

But alas, he's on his own. No word yet if Hood and Cooley are looking for another third wheel, or if they'll stick to a double-axe sound for now. And as for the amicable split, Sirens features appearances by Hood, Tucker, DBT drummer Brad Morgan, and Hood's father, David, who's a legendary session player on the Muscle Shoals, Ala., scene (which really exists -- Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett and Lynyrd Skynyrd have recorded there).

To get an idea of Isbell's talent, check out this video for "Dress Blues," a chilling tribute to a fallen Marine from his hometown in Alabama. DBT promoted it heavily on their web site while Isbell was still in the band, and it probably would have been on their next disc, but now it's on Sirens. Well worth your time.

UPDATE: Just got an e-mail from New West, touting a promotional e-card for Isbell's new CD. It includes a live performance of "Chicago Promenade," filmed at First Ave in Minneapolis. Again, worth the time to check it out.