Song of the Day: Jason Isbell, "Dress Blues"

It was bittersweet to learn that Jason Isbell was leaving the Drive By Truckers. On the one hand, I knew that his solo material would undoubtedly be great, but his poignant songs and stellar guitar playing really added a different facet of storytelling to the music.

I'm feeling a bit better since hearing a few tracks off Isbell's solo debut, Sirens of the Ditch, which comes out July 10 and features contributions from several Truckers, including Patterson Hood.

I particularly like "Dress Blues," which continues down the Band-influenced pedal-steel path that Isbell was traveling down with DBT. Also, his so-bad-it's-good vocals sound better than ever, and the instrumentation runs incredibly deep despite being a solo project. (Thanks to Aquarium Drunkard for posting the track. To listen, read more