i think i just had a revelation about isbell listening to this last album...this may be something that others who are more into him than me have touched on before but...
is he william faulkner as a guitar player and singer? as someone who grew up in deep east texas amongst the southern american culture, most self-aware people effort to leave that shit behind as quickly as possible and remove it from their life. but isbell, like faulkner, doesn't just draw inspiration from the his regional roots...they both lean into them hard in order to tell these very authentic stories. a lot of faulkner's characters were really developed through their personal demons and impactful legacies from the past...as well as instruments for commentary on societal bullshit and the complexities of american southern culture. both employ very vivid narratives and are compelling storytellers that repeatedly touch on personal experiences of the less positive elements of life...and complexity of emotions and relationships. the authenticity and honesty applied to similar stories...just feel like there is an awful lot of overlap there.