Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Jason Isbell and his band the 400 Unit’s new benefit album, Georgia Blue, is out today with all proceeds supporting three non-profit organizations: Black Voters Matter, Fair Fight and Georgia STAND-UP. Stream/purchase HERE.
Created to celebrate Georgia’s role in the 2020 election, the record consists of new versions of thirteen songs with ties to the state, including tracks originally recorded by Georgia natives R.E.M., Drivn’ N’ Cryin’, James Brown, Cat Power, Precious Bryant, Otis Redding, The Black Crowes, Indigo Girls, Now It’s Overhead, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Allman Brothers Band and Vic Chesnutt. In addition to Isbell and the 400 Unit, Georgia Blue also features special collaborations with Julien Baker, Brandi Carlile, Béla Fleck, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin, Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Chris Thile, Sadler Vaden, Adia Victoria and John Paul White. In celebration of the release, a new video of the band performing R.E.M.’s “Driver 8” in Athens, GA is out now—watch/share HERE.
Already receiving widespread critical attention, The New Yorker praises, “it’s a further articulation of what might be called Isbell’s Southeastern sensibility: a sound and stance that draw less on geographic locale than on cultural affinity—that are fondly, even reverently, rooted in the music of the South, urban and rural alike,” while No Depression declares, “It’d be easy to rattle off each track and sing their praises. It’s easier to note that the baker’s dozen tracks on Georgia Blue, in their entirety, are treated with the same meticulous care and attention to detail Isbell provides his own material…arguably the most fun listening experience in his discography” and Holler proclaims, “It’s a delightfully loose, expertly played and above all sincere 13-track set that checks every box for a project of this kind.”
Reflecting on the project, Isbell shares, “Georgia Blue is a labor of love. On election day 2020, when I saw that there was a good chance the state of Georgia might go blue, I came up with an idea: to record an album of Georgia-related songs as a thank you to the state and donate the money to a Georgia-based non-profit organization. I will admit my motivations were a bit selfish. For years, I’ve been looking for an excuse to record these songs with my band and some friends. The songs on this album are some of my favorite Georgia-related songs…We have roots and blues and R&B, so we enlisted some brilliant artists to help us pull off songs by Precious Bryant, James Brown and Gladys Knight. My favorite part of the Georgia Blue recording process was having the opportunity to work with these very special artists, and I thank them: Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Adia Victoria, Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker, Bèla Fleck, Chris Thile, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin and John Paul White. I hope you enjoy listening to these recordings as much as we enjoyed making them. Keep listening to good music and fighting the good fight.”
Known for their electric live shows, Isbell and the 400 Unit will continue to tour extensively throughout next year including newly confirmed shows at Knoxville’s Tennessee Theatre (two nights), Louisville’s Palace Theatre (two nights), Columbus’ Palace Theatre, Charlotte’s Ovens Auditorium (two nights), Portland’s Keller Auditorium and Los Angeles’ Orpheum Theatre among several others. See below for complete itinerary. Tickets go on-sale next Friday, October 22 at 10:00am local time, full details can be found at www.jasonisbell.com/shows.
Originally from Green Hill, Alabama and now based in Nashville, Isbell is a four-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist and is widely renowned as one of the greatest songwriters of his generation. Garnering immense critical acclaim throughout his career, NPR Music calls him, “one of the finest singer-songwriters working at the intersection of folk, country and rock today,” and continues, “his songs have an exquisite, rawboned realism and deeply embedded class-consciousness,” while USA Today proclaims, “he has developed into one of the great American songwriters…in a world where most pop songs are lies, Isbell is determined to find truth.”
Since the release of his breakthrough solo album, Southeastern, in 2013, Isbell has won four GRAMMY Awards, nine Americana Music Association Awards and was selected as the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum’s official 2017 Artist-in-Residence. Most recently, Isbell released his acclaimed album, Reunions, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, Top Rock Albums chart, Americana/Folk Albums chart and Independent Albums chart. Released to overwhelming acclaim, Variety praised the album saying, “Reunions is reason to feel glad all over…full of emotional nourishment and moral fiber, dished up as quick narrative tapas,” while The Associated Press declared, “a master of lyrical surprise.” Isbell is also a member of the acclaimed collaborative movement The Highwomen (fronted by fellow members Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires) and wrote “Maybe It’s Time”—featured in the award-winning 2018 film, A Star Is Born.
GEORGIA BLUE TRACK LIST
1. “Nightswimming” feat. Béla Fleck and Chris Thile (originally performed by R.E.M.)
2. “Honeysuckle Blue” feat. Sadler Vaden (originally performed by Drivin’ N’ Cryin’)
3. “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” feat. Brittney Spencer (originally performed by
James Brown)
4. “Cross Bones Style” feat. Amanda Shires (originally performed by Cat Power)
5. “The Truth” feat. Adia Victoria (originally performed by Precious Bryant)
6. “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” (originally performed by Otis Redding)
7. “Sometimes Salvation” feat. Steve Gorman (originally performed by The Black Crowes)
8. “Kid Fears” feat. Julien Baker and Brandi Carlile (originally performed by Indigo Girls)
9. “Reverse” (originally performed by Now It’s Overhead)
10. “Midnight Train To Georgia” feat. Brittney Spencer and John Paul White (originally performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips)
11. “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” feat. Peter Levin (originally performed by The Allman
Brothers Band)
12. “I’m Through” (originally performed by Vic Chesnutt)
13. “Driver 8” feat. John Paul White (originally performed by R.E.M.)
JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
BOLD on-sale next Friday, October 22 at 10:00am local time
October 15—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium^ (SOLD OUT)
October 16—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium§ (SOLD OUT)
October 17—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium° (SOLD OUT)
October 19—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium%
October 20—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium**
October 22—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium†† (SOLD OUT)
October 23—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium+ (SOLD OUT)
October 24—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium‡‡
November 19—Port Chester, NY—The Capitol Theatre‡
November 26—Durham, NC—Durham Performing Arts Center§§
November 27—Durham, NC—Durham Performing Arts Center§§
November 28—Greenville, SC—The Peace Center‡
November 30—St. Louis, MO—Stifel Theatre++
December 1—Minneapolis, MN—The Armory++
December 2—Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theater++
December 4—East Moline, IL—The Rust Belt++
December 5—Owensboro, KY—Owensboro Sportscenter‡
December 7—Moon, PA—UPMC Events Center++
December 8—Akron, OH—Akron Civic Theatre##
December 10—Cincinnati, OH—Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center^^
December 11—Cincinnati, OH—Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center^^
December 12—Pikeville, KY—Appalachian Wireless Arena°°
December 16—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle§
December 17—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle%%
December 18—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle‡
December 19—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle°°
January 8—Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre*
January 9—Knoxville, TN—Tennessee Theatre*
January 11—Asheville, NC—Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah’s
Cherokee Center*
January 12—Asheville, NC—Thomas Wolfe Auditorium at Harrah’s
Cherokee Center*
January 14—Louisville, KY—Louisville Palace Theatre*
January 15—Louisville, KY—Louisville Palace Theatre*
January 16—Columbus, OH—Palace Theatre*
January 19—Wilmington, NC—Wilson Center*
January 21—Charlotte, NC—Ovens Auditorium*
January 22—Charlotte, NC—Ovens Auditorium*
January 23—Augusta, GA—Bell Auditorium*
February 22—Los Angeles, CA—The Orpheum Theatre~
February 24—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield Theatre~
February 25—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield Theatre~
February 26—Santa Barbara, CA—The Arlington Theatre~
March 1—Vancouver, Canada—The Orpheum~
March 2—Seattle, WA—Paramount Theatre~
March 3—Bellingham, WA—Mount Baker Theatre~
March 4—Portland, OR—Keller Auditorium~
March 6—Las Vegas, NV—The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas~
June 18—Williamsburg, VA—Williamsburg Live at DeWitt Museum
August 26-28—Martha’s Vineyard, MA—Beach Road Weekend
‡with special guest S.G. Goodman
§with special guest Brittney Spencer
+with special guest Joy Oladokun
^with special guest Amanda Shires
°with special guest Mickey Guyton
%with special guest Amythyst Kiah
**with special guest Shemekia Copeland
††with special guest Allison Russell
‡‡with special guest Adia Victoria
§§with special guest Hiss Golden Messenger
++with special guest Strand of Oaks
##with special guest Molly Tuttle
^^with special guest Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
°°with special guest Morgan Wade
%%with special guest Gabe Lee
*with special guest Adia Victoria
~with special guest Shawn Colvin
