JASON ISBELL - Foxes In The Snow

There's no point beating around the bush: these eleven songs form a set as intense and moving as "Woodland" by the duo Gillian Welch and David Rawling, and Isbell earns himself a place alongside artists like David Crosby, Paul Simon, John Prine and, why not, Bob Dylan. It's easy to dismiss "Foxes In The Snow" as the Alabama musician's potential "Nebraska", but, dare we say it, these new Isbell compositions form a set far more powerful than that aforementioned must-have album by Bruce Sprintgsteen — eleven bittersweet poems with all the qualities needed to shine in any context.

The simplicity offered by the sole use of voice and guitar is no device to mask a crisis of inspiration: the songwriting has never been so assured and tenacious — just the aching, vibrant rasp of "Gravelweed" and the McCartney-esque mood of the gorgeous, sly title track are enough to appreciate the remarkable craft of these new Jason Isbell songs.

The author digs his hands into the guts of romanticism with arpeggios and words that glide along like the soundtrack to a pulp serial novel ("Eileen"), keeps the listener's attention with tales of love and death framed by powerful melodies ("Crimson And Clay"), distills all the magic of folk and country tradition into a handful of chords with the nimble fingerpicking of "Don't Be Tough", and sings of common feelings with a breathtaking intensity ("Wind Behind The Rain"). Tracks like "Ride To Robert's", "Good While It Lasted" or "Open And Close" wouldn't look out of place on many a classic album, and "True Believer" brings to mind another giant of American music, Townes Van Zandt, who, like Isbell, has never had in Italy the following and deserved recognition from critics and audiences alike.

Bare and poignant, the eleven tracks of "Foxes In The Snow" boast a wide-ranging, varied personality and emotional scope, confirming Jason Isbell as one of the finest American songwriters of the last twenty years.