Jason Isbell & Alan Jackson in a Dogfight for #1, and Country Music is the Victor
In one corner you have the wily veteran who’s sold more than 80 million records worldwide and racked up untold awards and accolades during his quarter century career. In the other corner you have the scrappy young upstart who after years of paying dues on the club circuit can now sell out three consecutive nights at The Ryman Auditorium in 30 minutes and is on the tip of everyone’s tongue as the name of one of the best songwriters around. These two heavyweights duked it out for the last week or so to see who would have the #1 album in country, and regardless of who comes out on top, country music wins.
All the talk of how country music needs to “evolve” and how nobody wants to listen to grandpa’s music or songs that make you think, and pretty regularly over 2015 we’ve seen independent and aging artists prove their selling power and their staying power, many times over mainstream rivals on Billboard’s Country Albums chart. Aaron Watson, Blackberry Smoke, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, and now Alan Jackson and Jason Isbell come out on top and prove that regardless of mainstream radio play, there is a silent majority of country music fans out there that are willing to put their hard earned dollars behind the artists they love.
It also just goes to show you how insular the country music radio environment has become. When Johnny Cash was releasing #1 records during his American Recordings era without any mainstream country radio play, it was an anomaly. Now it’s becoming commonplace to see the #1 country record in America not represented on country radio. Kacey Musgraves’ recent release is another example, and we may see it next week with Ashley Monroe. Yet also think about how intuitive it is that Alan Jackson and Jason Isbell are the two neck and neck. Jackson and Isbell have way more in common with each other than either do with Luke Bryan or Sam Hunt.
Quality music is quality music, and it cuts across cultural lines and thoughts on taste. That is why Jackson and Isbell are able to top the charts without any radio support. So why don’t we have a radio format that would cater two both older country artists, and upstarts like Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Kacey Musgraves and others that mainstream country radio ignores?
Coming down to the wire, it looks like Alan Jackson will edge Jason Isbell just slightly. According to HITS Daily Double, Jackson sold 42,341 albums, edging out Isbell by less than 500 units at 41,870. But as long as quality music continues to crest the charts, the calls of “evolution” and the collusiveness of country radio will be exposed, and the worthy artists releasing quality roots music regardless of style will still be able to ply their craft without concerning themselves with pandering to anyone.
July 26, 2015 @ 6:56 pm
Excellent news.
Here’s the ultimate question: is there a raison d’etre for country radio anymore, if it can’t even bring themselves to play songs from the top-selling country albums?
July 26, 2015 @ 7:05 pm
It occurs to me that terrestrial radio is on the wane in recent years. It seemed to start first in rock radio. People find so many other places to be influenced these days and their music purchases do sometimes reflect that.
July 26, 2015 @ 7:36 pm
I happily listen to AM talk (better to get news/commentary from Rush than some suspect idiot at MSNBC, but I digress), but otherwise I think you have a point. Country radio plays the same handful of appallingly awful songs over and over without fail. I virtually never tune in deliberately unless I’m just too exhausted for anything else and don’t want to drive home in silence. Radio is a good medium, but the content has just gotten too bad to handle much of the time.
July 27, 2015 @ 8:10 am
The biggest selling point about radio for me growing up was music discovery. Now that the same 20 songs are played on Country radio, there is no reason to listen because the quality of most of those 20 sucks is crap and you no longer get the music discovery portion either.
With the ease and availability of streaming, downloads and podcasts there is zero reason to listen to most terrestrial radio. I do listen to the radio, I listen to the local sports talk station which usually avoids most of the idiocy that surrounds conservative, liberal and sports talk radio.
July 26, 2015 @ 7:07 pm
This is fantastic news, and honestly, those are fantastic numbers for both, especially Isbell. But Trigger, will we actually see either top the Country charts? I mean after all, it’s hard to top a chart when you don’t exist….
July 26, 2015 @ 10:18 pm
If a tree falls in the woods….
July 27, 2015 @ 3:16 am
Makes awesome music,
July 27, 2015 @ 11:33 am
Aaron Watson new cd hit #1 on the country album charts with little radio airplay.
July 27, 2015 @ 7:34 am
Yes Blackberry Smoke’s Holding All the Roses debut #1 billboard country charts #7 billboard rock n roll charts and 27th overall with zero radio play. Sirius xm outlaw country is the only station I know with enough balls to play them.
July 26, 2015 @ 7:10 pm
Growing up in the 1990’s Alan Jackson is who got me into country music and he remains one of my favorite country singers. While I am not real familiar with Jason Isbell, I have been exposed to him more through this site, and as evidenced by his latest song, his songs are real, and have substance and emotion that most songs on the radio do not. That’s what I’ve liked most about country music — it speaks right to the heart. Don’t get me wrong I like the traditional sound with a steel guitar and a fiddle but the words are just as important.
This is certainly good news, especially with all the crappy songs being released. Maybe other country singers will take a cue from these two and others and start recording better songs. I defnitely think there is a demand at least to a certain extent — on my local country radio station, I have been hearing a lot more songs by George Strait and Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks and the latest song by Mo Pitney and Maddie and Tae come up quite frequently, and I think I’ve only heard a Sam Hunt song every once in a while. Who knows?
July 26, 2015 @ 7:11 pm
I think, and I’ve never seen either perform, that Isbell would blow Alan away with the quality of his material and the power in his performances. But I think we’ll see “Country” radio ignore the facts just like they always do.
July 26, 2015 @ 8:23 pm
I have not seen Jackson live, but Isbell is a fantastic performer who I think is better live. In fact I prefer versions of the songs on his “Live From Alabama” to the studio versions of the same songs.
July 27, 2015 @ 3:17 am
Oh, my God. Live from Alabama is fucking amazing.
Inarguably the definitive versions of Dress Blues, Razor Town, Tour of Duty and Goddamn Lonely Love.
Jesus, that album’s Dress Blues gets me every time.
July 27, 2015 @ 3:33 am
I would love to see him do another… and make it a double album,
July 27, 2015 @ 3:58 pm
Danko/Manuel… O.o
July 29, 2015 @ 8:37 pm
No way, GDLl i been as sublime live as on the Dirty South.
July 27, 2015 @ 7:17 am
NPR music posted Jason Isbell’s concert at Newport Folk Festival. Good listening.
http://www.npr.org/event/music/426505568/jason-isbell-live-in-concert-newport-folk-2015
July 27, 2015 @ 2:21 pm
Yep – I had already listened… but thanks for giving the link!
July 26, 2015 @ 7:29 pm
Good on them both! 😀
July 26, 2015 @ 7:41 pm
Frankly, I can’t remember the last time I listened to terrestrial radio on purpose, and by that I mean actively turning on the radio with the express intent of listening to it. There is way too much good stuff (of all genres) available out there to waste my time with that nonsense.
There are too many sites like SCM and blogs out there featuring good music for me to care what’s being played on radio. I realize that radio is still important. But for how long? I read some industry stuff, and they are worried.
I just try to promote the stuff I like to the best of my ability. I know it’s only a drop in the ocean, but enough drops make a bucket, etc.
July 26, 2015 @ 7:43 pm
I have a question I’m hoping somebody can answer for me. I thought albums were typically released on Tuesdays. I’ve noticed a lot of recent and upcoming albums had/ will have Friday release dates. Why is that?
July 26, 2015 @ 7:47 pm
They changed to a release date of Fridays a couple of weeks ago. Apparently North America was the only ones doing the Tuesday release date prior to this so this synchs up with all markets.
July 26, 2015 @ 10:23 pm
Might be worth reading:
A Guide to the Global Release Day for Independent Artists (and their fans)
https://savingcountrymusic.com/a-guide-to-the-global-release-day-for-independent-artists-and-their-fans
July 26, 2015 @ 7:55 pm
I never really owned an Alan Jackson album in my life but I did buy Jason Isbell’s album last week and I’m liking it. I may actually buy AJ’s album so I can vote with my money. There’s a revolution brewing in Country Music my friends and this current trend of classic singers hitting number one on the charts is part of that revolution.
July 26, 2015 @ 8:17 pm
There are 3 absolute classics on AJ’s album in You Can Always Come Home, Gone Before You Met Me, and The One You’re Waiting On. It’s well worth the money. The rest of the songs are pretty good, too.
July 26, 2015 @ 8:25 pm
That’s very positive thinking about the revolution. I can’t wait till we have the same incident like in the 70s when outlaw country took over the pop-country of that time and see country radio start playing songs with actual substance and legitimate instrumentation again, and all these tards and fan girls will see the true evolution of country music.
July 27, 2015 @ 3:20 am
The new Isbell joint gets better every time you listen to it.
July 26, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
This is great news, even if the stats for albums is biased toward more substantial artists because their fans buy entire albums. Even more surprising for an artist on his own label like Jason. He is certainly making more money off those sales. Congrats to both. I would not call Isbell country, though he has some country songs, but it’s good to see there is a hunger for good writing and a country/roots sound from artists like Jackson and Isbell.
And, for the record, Isbell actually has sold out four nights at the Ryman this fall, though I don’t know how much time that took.
July 26, 2015 @ 8:28 pm
On a side note, I think this is also good for independent record stores, since their fans are more likely to care about such stores. I know my local store was having trouble keeping Isbell’s in stock.
July 26, 2015 @ 9:33 pm
Perhaps the sooner the misnomer ” COUNTRY radio ” is dropped from stations actually playing pop ,r & b ,rap and rock with a hint of country influence ( twang in the vocal and a banjo ) the sooner the discussions and disagreements will end . Shouldn’t the response ” I don’t really like country music but I like Luke Bryan ( FGL , Aldean , Gilbert , Farr ….any mainstream name you want to put in here ) be telling us all we need to know ? Even the so-called new ” country music ” fans know they aren’t really listening to COUNTRY music . Everyone knows it …the artists , the labels , the writers , the veteran fans of REAL country music , the younger fans and the musicians. It’s just a melting pot of genres looking for a name now . If radio and the industry would just adopt a name other than ” Country ” there’d be no confusion , no dissension , no backlash …no nothin ‘. And REAL country would reclaim its rightful identity by name . How can you call a hamburger a hot dog ?
July 27, 2015 @ 11:31 am
I’d say how can you call a hamburger a bone-in, dry-aged rib-eye? Country radio used to be where all the best music was being made. Now it’s almost entirely crap. I thank god for the OC.
July 26, 2015 @ 9:43 pm
I bought Isbell’s new album at Newbury Comics (a Boston-based comic book and music store) in Manchester, New Hampshire, this past week.
July 26, 2015 @ 9:46 pm
If you are familiar with AJ’s records from day 1 , you’ll realize that what worked for him on that first record has worked for him on ALL his records ( save, perhaps , the Alison Krauss project ) . The right mix of tempos ( all danceable BTW ) , the right mix of sad and upbeat songs and the right mix of light humour and much heavier almost profound material and observations ..much of it written by the man himself , of course .And all guided by the more than capable Keith Steigel ( apologies for the spelling ) and delivered by the best players available to an artist . AJ knows his following as well or better than just about anyone out there . He knows what they want from a record and he knows how to deliver from the heart . Something for every mood but ALL of it impeccably executed using the tools of tradition and a caring second to none. I was lucky enough to see his show last year up here in Canada …first time I’d seen him live . He brings all of the above to the stage and the sincerity is palpable . He’s there for his fans and he delivers 100% . And his fans – COUNTRY fans – absolutely loved it . No drunken outbursts or distractions from the crowd whatsoever . Just a respect and response befitting of such a dedicated artist
July 27, 2015 @ 6:40 am
The Alison Krauss project is his best front to back album. Not a single annoying song on that record, and I say annoying because aside from “Flaws,” I can’t think of a bad Alan Jackson song off the top of my head. It’s just that all of his albums have their annoying and persistent upbeat material but they aren’t necessarily bad songs.
July 27, 2015 @ 11:53 am
Albert,
Alan recorded an independent album that predates his record deal with Arista. Would you happen to have a copy?
July 27, 2015 @ 7:15 pm
I don’t even have that album. And my collection is something I’m quite proud of. I recently added a bunch of 78 records to my collection that were formerly owned by the past director of Interlochen Arts Academy. Really digging The Crew-Cuts this evening.
July 27, 2015 @ 7:34 pm
You can find copies here and there for $200 to $300, on cd.
July 27, 2015 @ 8:08 pm
They’re all on YouTube. New Traditional (full album): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7jAks7doB4. You can also download it from a torrent if you’re in to that sort of thing. The material isn’t half bad, but Alan’s voice is either filtered, the music is too slow or he hadn’t yet come into his own as a singer; it doesn’t sound like his normal vocal.
I’m not at all sure what the original format or release was for this album, but it seems plain to me that the version you see every now and then on eBay and such is a bootleg. Firstly, it has Japanese translations of the song titles. Secondly, the picture of Alan in his blue jean jacket with the gray felt hat as shown in the YouTube upload is obviously a sketch of his face from the cover of Don’t Rock the Jukebox.
Don’t Rock the Jukebox album cover: http://images.rapgenius.com/924efc90c475abbeb4051df647b47471.600x600x1.jpg
July 28, 2015 @ 5:38 am
Thanks for the link, AD. I haven’t heard that album in 15 years. I didn’t even think to look on YouTube.
July 28, 2015 @ 7:36 am
You’re very welcome. I could even burn you a copy of it on CD and mail it out if you would so desire. The sound quality of my copy is inconsistent, but I consider that better than not having the music at all.
Where did you first hear the album, and via what format? I didn’t even know this album existed until 6 months ago.
July 29, 2015 @ 8:25 am
….”Where did you first hear the album, and via what format? I didn”™t even know this album existed until 6 months ago.”….
Sorry for taking so long. I forgot to respond to this.
I had a friend that owned it 15 years ago on cd. How much did you pay for yours?
I appreciate the offer, but the only copy I’d want, is an original US copy, because I think his vocals are pretty bad on it, and I’d only want it to collect.
That Japanese one is a reissue on a Japanese label.
Did you notice that song “Merle and George”, is a re-write of Stoney Edward’s song, “Hank and Lefty Raised My Country Soul”?
July 29, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
I didn’t buy mine. I downloaded it from a torrent like I suggested to you. A cardinal sin for a music lover, I know, but if it’s not available any other reasonable way, I consider it fair game. Honestly, if the artist or record label doesn’t provide the music I don’t see how they could be upset if people get it via other means. I’ve also never understood why artists don’t jump at the chance to re-release independent albums when they get signed to majors. I suppose they’re not allowed so as not to use a previously recorded work as a cop out on a contract or something?
For instance, in addition to Alan Jackson, such artists as Jamey Johnson, Dierks Bentley, Alabama, Chris LeDoux, Johnny Paycheck, Steve Earle and Zac Brown Band among others have recordings from before they were famous that are basically lost to time. Regardless of how you might feel about some of these performers, I think we can agree that it’s something of a crime that some recordings can’t be purchased or otherwise found easily. It’s similar to how many classic country artists’ albums aren’t available on modern formats like CD or digital, only many of these were NEVER available via wide release. Chris LeDoux in particular has MANY albums that were self-released; he started recording in the early ’70s, after all (hence why when we were talking about ’90s performers I didn’t feel it odd to bring up Ricky Van Shelton, even though he started in the ’80s).
As for the Stoney Edwards song, no I wasn’t aware of that. Perhaps the one disadvantage I have as a younger listener that I consider objective is a lack of knowledge about the lower tier artists of yesteryear (assuming he was, anyway). I’ve not heard of Stoney Edwards by name, though I’m sure I know some songs by him. There’s just too many of these guys, often with hard-to-find recordings, for me to experience in a lifetime. It becomes even harder to deal with when one factors in the good country music still being made, even if it’s independently released. Despite my ignorance of some of the legends, I assume by now that we’ve talked enough about my appreciation for classic country that my fandom of Big & Rich isn’t as distracting as it once was (or at least I hope). Heck, I’ve even considered putting Johnny Paycheck’s 11 Months and 29 Days album cover as my profile picture on here.
July 29, 2015 @ 3:39 pm
By the way, what happened to your friend’s original copy? And what did it look like?
July 29, 2015 @ 4:07 pm
Here is the Stoney Edwards song, that Alan ripped off, or rewrote for “Merle and George”.
https://youtu.be/cyH399B1NZw
I hope you’ll listen to it. Stoney Edwards is a jewel, a great singer, and the 2nd most famous Black Country singer of all time.
All of Chris Ledoux’s independent records were available on Capitol Records, in the late 90’s/early 2000’s.
If you’re speaking about Paycheck’s Little Darlin’ stuff, most, if not all of it, is available on cd, or at least it was as of just a year or two ago.
I should’ve referred to that guy as an ‘acquaintance’, instead of ‘friend’. He was a guy I knew in Nashville; I never spoke to him again after I left there. And I’m pretty sure his was a Japanese copy too; I didn’t mean to imply it was an original. Apparently, the US version was originally released in 1987. The Japanese reissue was in 1992, which would explain why it has the copycat cover art.
August 5, 2015 @ 10:09 am
I’ll listen to it when I’m not at work (just noticed you responded, by the way).
Most of Chris LeDoux’s early albums were reissued in the late 2000s by my research, not the ’90s. And I said MOST, not ALL. I know for a fact that Paycheck’s Little Darlin’ material is only available via compilations. I’ve yet to see a legitimate CD copy of a whole album of his material from that period. But that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that most of his Outlaw-era material hasn’t been reissued, either.
August 5, 2015 @ 1:00 pm
By the way, the specific material I was referring to by Paycheck wasn’t so much his Little Darlin’ recordings, but the music he recorded under his given name of Donny Young before signing to the former label.
August 5, 2015 @ 3:22 pm
AD,
I was a buyer of CD’s in the 90’s. I know Chris Ledoux’s old stuff was on CD then, because I purchased quite a few of them. I’m all for research, but in this case, I don’t need it, because I lived it.
July 26, 2015 @ 9:55 pm
Jason Isbell’s album has gone #1 on the Australian Country albums chart
but Alan Jackson’s album was released a week later down here
July 26, 2015 @ 11:25 pm
Where’s Gary Overton and his “If you’re not on country radio, you don’t exist”? Ooppss….
July 27, 2015 @ 1:33 am
Good for both of them, I am a huge Alan Jackson fan. I turned on the radio today and the first preset station was singing about a fifth of whiskey, I quickly hit the next preset and they were singing about filling up a keg, so I put in “who I am” cd, much better.
July 27, 2015 @ 3:36 am
Since I don’t listen to any “country radio” station anymore ( haven’t for many years) I appreciate reading about “real” country artists. Looking forward it hearing Jason Isbell.
July 27, 2015 @ 4:59 am
if Jason had to lose, too bad it wasn’t by “400 Unit”s.
July 27, 2015 @ 6:52 am
With those two albums, plus Warren Haynes’ new album with Railroad Earth out last Friday, it’s been a good week for real quality music.
Trigger, hope you get a chance to listen to and review the Warren Haynes disc. Good good stuff.
July 27, 2015 @ 7:36 am
I’m a long time Mule fan and I think I vaguely heard of the Warren Haynes album coming out, but forgot about. I’ll have to look into it more.
July 27, 2015 @ 7:57 am
Not typical Mule stuff, more bluegrass/folk/Appalachian/Americana with RRE as the backing band. Can still tell it’s Warren, though, that guitar tone is unmistakable. Highly recommended.
July 27, 2015 @ 8:16 am
Yes, that’s what I gathered by reading a review today. I am a bluegrass/old timey/Appalachian/rootsy Americana fan and so am intrigued by this effort from Warren. Thanks.
July 27, 2015 @ 9:18 am
I’m a big Mule fan and in general a huge fan of Warren Haynes. I preordered the new album “Ashes To Dust” and was able to download when delivery was delayed a few days. Absolutely love it, it’s really a great record. I got the deluxe version with some extra tracks (demos), but also the bonus disc which includes a really nice cover of Two Of A Kind, Workin’ On A Full House, played at a leisure pace, that I really enjoyed. Just a shame his tour for this record isn’t coming out to the West Coast.
July 27, 2015 @ 9:19 am
Jason’s album #17 UK album chart.
July 27, 2015 @ 2:56 pm
It is worth noting that Isbell was also #1 on the rock charts.
July 27, 2015 @ 5:57 pm
If Isbell’s album is going to be labeled “rock”, then every modern mainstream country album should be called rock as well. It seems like rock, as a commercially dead genre, is desperate to co-opt everyone it can find from other genres. It is reminiscent of the labeling of many 80s love songs as “smooth jazz” just because they featured saxophone solos, even though the basic structure of the songs was thoroughly soft rock.
July 28, 2015 @ 4:03 am
Funny how our perceptions of these genre categories differ. It shows how fluid they are and how Americana really does cross divides. I was joking with the clerk at the music store when I bought the album that I never know which bin I need to look in for the music I like.
I would say Isbell is much more rock than country, and it is how he describes his work. Rock is a broad category, and there is not much out there today, but most of Isbell’s output is pretty solidly in the southern rock tradition – loud drums and plenty of wailing guitar, especially live. I can only think of a handful of songs I would call truly country (Tour of Duty, Alabama Pines, Cigarettes and Wine, maybe the title track of Something More than Free.) Then there are the acoustic songs like Elephant that I think are more in the folk camp.
July 28, 2015 @ 4:37 am
I largely agreed with Trigger when he said in his review of SMTF that Isbell’s music could be described as being in the “roots rock realm” or as I might say, the roots rock wing of the Americana big tent. Others I would describe as such would be John Hiatt, Steve Earle, and Lucinda Williams. I think Jason’s first three solo albums are firmly in that camp. There’s been somewhat of a retrenchment with respect to “rock” on his last two albums (one minor personal disappointment I had with SMTF is that I was hoping the next one would rock a little more), but not so much as to fall out of this roots rock realm altogether. Then there are his live shows with his 400 Unit, which, as you know, feature plenty of raucous rock and roll.
July 28, 2015 @ 6:47 am
Well said. I agree there is a little more folk (or maybe even pop, if we can rescue that word from autotuned schlock of contemporary pop) than rock on the recent albums. It is one reason I like the live versions better, but I think it brings the songwriting front and center.
July 29, 2015 @ 3:00 am
I think we can agree that Isbell’s album is less rock than most of today’s mainstream country, though. The electric guitars and drums are played so loudly in modern mainstream country that they produce a wall of sound effect.
July 29, 2015 @ 5:30 am
I think that is the difference between good rock and bad rock. I am one of those who would reserve the term “country” for a more traditional 60s country sound… but the categories are hard to define.
July 29, 2015 @ 6:13 am
You beat me to it. I think the so called “rock” that one tends to hear on mainstream country radio is like the rock flavored music you might hear on a commercial or TV theme song. Clichéd and soulless.
July 29, 2015 @ 7:15 am
This album especially I think drew the distinction of being a “roots” album. The first song is straight up country. A lot of the rock styling of “Southeastern” is replaced with more stripped down arrangements.
July 29, 2015 @ 11:06 am
I don’t understand something, well lots of things really. Why is there so much excitement over Jason Isbell who I’m a fan of, and Have been since Decoration Day, beating Alan Jackson on the Country charts? Jason isn’t country, he never claimed to be, and by most peoples comments I have read they don’t think he is either. Alan in my mind has been the picture of country since the beginning of his career. Love them both, but confused. I just don’t see this as a victory for country fans. Just confused so please be gentle, not trying to upset anyone. Thank you