It was back in November last year when the world was an even more uncertain place that it is now that, Jason Isbell posted the following tweet:
If Biden wins Georgia I’m gonna make a charity covers album of my favorite Georgia songs- REM, Gladys Knight, Vic Chesnutt, Allmans, Cat Power, Precious Bryant, Now It’s Overhead, etc… And damn is that gonna be fun
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) November 6, 2020
And just like Turboman, Isbell and his band the 400 Unit have now made good on the promise, revealing the details of the album ‘Georgia Blue’. The full-length record lands on October 15th and includes covers of songs by Cat Power, Otis Redding, Indigo Girls, the Allman Brothers Band, Gladys Knight & The Pips, among others. You can listen to a cover of R.E.M.’s ‘Driver 8′ below.
In a press release about the album, Isbell says: “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.”
He adds: “We have roots in 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.”
Here’s the tracklisting:
01 Nightswimming [ft. Béla Fleck and Chris Thile]
02 Honeysuckle Blue [ft. Sadler Vaden]
03 It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World [ft. Brittney Spencer]
04 Cross Bones Style [ft. Amanda Shires]
05 The Truth [ft. Adia Victoria]
06 I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
07 Sometimes Salvation [ft. Steve Gorman]
08 Kid Fears [ft. Julien Baker and Brandi Carlile]
09 Reverse
10 Midnight Train to Georgia [ft. Brittney Spencer and John Paul White]
11 In Memory of Elizabeth Reed [ft. Peter Levin]
12 I’m Through
13 Driver 8 [ft. John Paul White]
