Southeastern

"While it's a presumptions endeavor to strictly tie the artist's biography to the art he/she creates, it's safe to say that Isbell's recent life events influenced the perspective he's brought to this album. It's a poignant, reflective, and very often frank portrayal of humanity's dual impulses authored by someone who has lived several chapters, yet knows the story is constantly being rewritten".

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"Southeastern is easily Isbell's best solo album-- his most richly conceived and generously written ... It threatens to become make-do country rock, lacking the specificity and idiosyncrasy of Isbell's songwriting. Perhaps it's fitting that the one instrument that stands out is Shires' fiddle, which eddies and shimmies throughout "Traveling Alone" before adding a solo as eloquently understated as Isbell's chorus. Of course they have chemistry".

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