August 9, 2015

Music Review: “Speed Trap Town” by Jason Isbell


TRACK 8

“Speed Trap Town”

From Jason Isbell’s Something More Than Free

Southeastern Records

Liner notes: Isbell embodies bedraggled resilience on an aching acoustic ballad about a toxic home, singing, “It never did occur to me to leave before tonight.”

Behind the music: The Alabama-born singer was only the third songwriting option in Drive-By Truckers, after Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, but has blossomed as a solo artist.

Check it out if you like: Underdog champions (Steve Earle, John Mellencamp).

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

Please learn more about how Mother Jones works and our 47-year history of doing nonprofit journalism that you don't elsewhere—and help us do it with a donation if you can. We've already cut expenses and hitting our online goal is critical right now.

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