Zac Brown to Cover Jason Isbell on New “Jekyll + Hyde” Album
If there’s one mainstream country artist you can’t give anything but the utmost credit for digging a little deeper than the rosters of major labels or Music Row’s cubicle farms when looking for songs or artists to help, it would be Zac Brown and the Zac Brown Band. From their championing of Blackberry Smoke on the (now defunct) Southern Ground label, to taking Sturgill Simpson out on tour, to now shining a spotlight in a worthy songwriter.
It was only a matter of time before mainstream artists started plucking songs from the heralded discographies of thriving independent artists like Jason Isbell and Sturgill Simpson. We know these are the artists many of the mainstream acts are listening to. Then again Zac Brown has always been sort of his own animal when it comes to the establishment. Willing to admit he’s more Southern rock than country, covering a song from former Drive By Trucker Jason Isbell shouldn’t really surprise anyone.
Zac Brown first showed major interest in the song when he performed it on ESPN’s College Gameday program right before the first official college football National Championship game. Then an earlier video of Brown performing the song acoustically from November of 2014 was discovered. Making this opportunity even more exciting for Isbell, by Zac Brown performing the song on such a major stage as the college football National Championship, it signals at least the thought of featuring the song prominently from the album, potentially as a single. This is where the serious exposure (and money) for Jason Isbell would come into play.
“Dress Blues” is from Isbell’s very first solo album Sirens of the Ditch released in 2007 after he’d left the Drive-By Truckers. It makes reference to the formal dress of Marines that unfortunately so many service members are buried in after returning to home from war. Written about Cpl. Matthew D. Conley, unlike many of these soldier songs, which sometimes cross certain lines of decency in an attempt to tug at heart strings and jerk tears with sappy and even cheesy lines that simplify the issues surrounding loss and war, “Dress Blues” shows off Isbell’s prowess as the world-class and well-decorated songwriter.
Zac Brown Band signaled a desire to step out of the mainstream mold with their last album, and EP with Dave Grohl called The Grohl Sessions. Though some love to point to the band’s first single “Chicken Fried” as an example of why Zac Brown shouldn’t be given credit for much of anything, that was some seven years ago now, and before the Bro-Country / laundry list style of writing took its menacing grip on country radio.
Just announced, Zac Brown Band’s new album Jeckyll + Hyde is scheduled to be released on April 28th in a strange partnership forged between Southern Ground, clothier Varvatos, and Big Machine Records. Other collaborations on the album include Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell singing with Zac on a song called “Heavy in the Head,” and a Sara Bareilles duet on “Mango Tree.”
This could be a big album for Zac Brown since it’s been nearly three years since a full-length release from the band. And it could be big for Jason Isbell too. Expect to see more of these type of opportunities for independent songwriters as mainstream country hopes to sluff off the unsavory burden of Bro-Country.
If you pre-order the album on iTunes, you can get “Dress Blues” and two other songs immediately.
Jekyll + Hyde Track List:
2. “Loving You Easy”
3. “Remedy”
4. “Homegrown”
5. “Mango Tree” (feat. Sara Bareilles)
6. “Heavy Is the Head” (feat. Chris Cornell)
7. “Bittersweet”
8. “Castaway”
9. “Tomorrow Never Comes”
10. “One Day”
11. “Dress Blues”
12. “Young and Wild”
13. “Junkyard”
14. “I’ll Be Your Man” (Song for a Daughter)
15. “Wildfire”
16. “Tomorrow Never Comes” (Acoustic Version)
March 6, 2015 @ 8:20 am
I haven’t seen a list with songwriters mentioned yet, so I’m curious if Wildfire is a John Mayer cover or a new song. Aaron Watson just covered it on The Underdog.
March 6, 2015 @ 8:31 am
On a related note, this isn’t the first time ZBB has covered well-written songs from other artists. They’ve covered Ryan Adams’s “Oh My Sweet Carolina” (as a live bonus track), Ray LaMontagne’s “Jolene”, and the Wood Brothers’ “The Muse”.
March 6, 2015 @ 1:33 pm
“Tomorrow Never Comes” – is that the Glen Campbell song? Is this going to be like the last Lee Ann Womack’s album which was basically a tribute album.
March 6, 2015 @ 4:56 pm
Covers album not tribute album.
March 7, 2015 @ 10:51 am
I’m guessing the Michael Martin Murphy song. Which seems like a perfect fit to me.
March 6, 2015 @ 9:24 am
This is probably my least favourite Isbell tune, but it’s really cool to see him finally getting some recognition from the mainstream. We all know that these radio bands listen to Isbell, Simpson, Nikki Lane, etc. at home.
March 11, 2015 @ 8:38 pm
that surprises me”¦I think Dress Blues is one of his betters and I can name many as lesser tunes. different strokes I guess.
March 6, 2015 @ 10:56 am
I remember at the time ZBB covered “Dress Blues” some Isbell fans were upset, but I hope that has been squelched and we can appreciate a mainstream band like ZBB deciding to shine a spotlight on great song and music.
We will see if this gets a shot at Country radio and how it does should it be a single. Right now it would seem to be targeted for a summer or fall release as the second or third single off the album, but I could see a number of stations avoiding it for upbeat summer time songs about the same old Bro-Country crap. Hopefully I am wrong on that.
March 6, 2015 @ 11:49 am
Dress Blues is arguably Jason’s best song. I’m hoping Brown does it some justice.
March 6, 2015 @ 1:55 pm
The cover is beautiful. Preordered the album and wow the “fiddle and guitar” solos are beautiful. ZBB doesnt sell out the song for sales.
March 6, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
Dress Blues is the song that first introduced me to Isbell. As a Marine veteran of the Iraq War, I fell into the rabbit hole watching war videos on YouTube in 2011 and came across this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6n08Z9495E I sat there and uncontrollably cried as I watched it over and over and felt the words touch my soul. I had never had a song affect me like that. I have since purchased every Isbell/Drive By Truckers album that I know exists. He has absolutely become my favorite songwriter. I hope he gets the pay day he deserves from ZBB covering it. Hey, at least it’s not Dierks Bentley.
March 6, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
Jesus, what’s wrong with Dierks Bentley?
I continually see people calling out the wrong artists in mainstream country.
At best, Dierks has been a torch bearer for real country music (while not a traditionalist, real country none the less) in the mainstream community.
At worst, he just isn’t the problem.
I didn’t care much for his last album, as I felt it was the closest he’s came to truly pushing the boundaries of what makes a song or album country (to me the album was not country, Southern Pop/Rock maybe?), but at least it had some substance.
Critical attention should be warranted to much greater distasteful culprits.
Hopefully (fingers crossed) Dierks will do away with the synthy pop production and get back to making country music. If he continues down the pop road further, then I’ll surrender my position.
March 6, 2015 @ 5:31 pm
I find it humorous that the only thing you took away from my post was the Dierks Bentley comment. The comment was actually in reference to Isbell calling Bentley out on a song that he felt was stolen from him. Regardless, I don’t care for his music. At all. That’s my .02¢. I think his music is mainstream bubblegum “country.”
March 6, 2015 @ 6:00 pm
Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to take it that way. Those truly are respectable sentiments that you shared.
I just get tired of people calling out artists who aren’t really an issue in the degradation of mainstream country music.
Trust me, Dierks ain’t one of em. For now anyway.
You know, I had forgotten about the whole situation with Dierks and Jason. Jokes on me there for not getting the reference.
I disagree that Dierks music is bubblegum country though, some songs, maybe, but he has large resume of work that spans from deep to shallow and traditional to progressive.
March 9, 2015 @ 10:07 am
Dierks earlier song choices , as with MANY country acts , were far more consistent in terms of being fresh and substance-filled although he’s always had the obligatory ,( no doubt label-fueled) ” the radio girls will love this” offerings .
Speaking of radio girls . Last night I listened to most of the new Madonna 25 song double CD ” Rebel Heart ” . You could certainly make an argument that her stuff has always been ‘dance club fluff ‘ …but if you tried to you’d give yourself away as having written her off long ago .Understandable .
Madonna has almost always had something of substance to offer lyrically along with her infectious pop music hooks and ” Rebel Heart” is no exception . Some SOLD SOLID musical hooks and some very thoughtful , if watered down for the masses , observations lyrically . Yeah yeah ..I know …this is a country music site and there’s n’ary a country song to be found amongst the EDM -influenced arrangements here….but since her new record has more substance than 99% of radio country and its MADONNA for God’s sake, I pass this on for the real music lovers that visit SCM . Its not over-produced …doesn’t rely on the machinery to manufacture excitement and Madonna’s vocals have never sounded smoother or stronger and no , that’s NOT a contradiction in adjectives. I mean c’mon ….if we’re giving Sam Hunt’s hair real estate space on this site …….
I give Madge 1 and 1/2 rocket-loaded brassieres up , ….not bad for a 25 song CD which could have been one KILLER single CD .
March 7, 2015 @ 1:13 am
I just listened to “Dress Blues.” It’s very well written, as one would expect from Jason Isbell. I’ve just really never been able to get into his music because I’m not very fond of his voice. Maybe with Zac’s more powerful and polished voice I’ll beable to appreciate his music better.
March 7, 2015 @ 11:02 am
Then perhaps you should look more into his earlier catalog and the album “Up on The Ridge” as well. Certainly more country than Isbell or DBT, not to take anything away from them, I’m a huge fan, but I don’t think they claim to be country anyway. I can’t make any apologies for the last two albums or eight singles though.
March 7, 2015 @ 12:57 pm
Yup, that album and the song “Train Travelin'” made me a fan of his.
March 9, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
check out this version of this song. I am not sure how new it was but this is the first I had heard of dress blues, Jason came out I believe during a break in a trucker show and did this at stubbs. One of the coolest things I have ever seen live.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=drive+by+truckers+dress+blues&FORM=VIRE1#view=detail&mid=B5E8709A2C39A1BCBAD9B5E8709A2C39A1BCBAD9
March 6, 2015 @ 4:29 pm
Yes, it seems like some people knock everyone but their personal favorites or just everyone mainstream. Maybe they are hungry for another song rant like say Thomas Rhett – Make Me Wanna (Smash My Radio) or Michael Ray – Kiss You In The Morning (‘Cause I’ll Be Gettin’ My Other Arm Tattoo’d In The Evenin’).
Is ZBB more country than Dierks? I’m thinking no. Maybe ZBB is better but it’s harder to compare a solo artist to a big band. I will never be a fan of synthesizers, pure pop, rap or hip-hop in country music as that stuff is the opposite of country but Dierks has been one of the better artists and made a bluegrass album. Meanwhile some others are pure pop and cover rap songs at their shows.
March 6, 2015 @ 5:47 pm
I agree. I’d say ZBB leans more toward Southern Rock and Dierks, obviously, country.
I’m a fan of both artists. Though they both have put out a great deal of music that I don’t really care for, like I said earlier bout Dierks, neither of them are the issue with mainstream country. In my opinion they are positive influences in a bleak world, for the most part anyway.
My opinions on synths in country music are this; if it has a synth in it, it ain’t country no more. But just because a country artist records a non country song, doesn’t mean that it’s bad. It’s just a different genre. That could range from Country Rock to, may the good Lord have mercy on their souls, Country Hip-Hop. As Trig’s pointed out in other articles, they call it Hick Hop *puke* and it is actually really popular with many young rural people, at least in the rural area I’m from. Especially males. I don’t know what you’d call synth country. Southern Pop? Country Pop? Country Pop being different then Pop Country. Country Pop would be Country influenced pop music and Pop Country is of course mainstream popular country music.
Also Pop Country isn’t necessarily a genre or style unto itself. It’s just happens to be actual country music that is popular and would encompass whatever country sub-genres that are popular. I’ve been guilty of calling Country Pop (that’s what I’m gonna call it) Pop Country myself. They should be differentiated though.
My stance on what constitutes true country music is this; A unique lyrical and sonic style and that it must be played with live acoustic (including electric acoustic) and percussion instruments. No rhythm sections composed with software! Once you do that you’re venturing into the other genres.
I actually enjoy many of the genre’s derived from country music, others are tasteless and are contributing to the degradation of rural American and rural Southern culture and are just plain disrespectful towards the roots of the original genre.
March 6, 2015 @ 7:30 pm
I can’t wait to buy Zac brown band’s new cd on April 28, 2015.
March 6, 2015 @ 8:08 pm
Lol, the way you wrote that makes it look like a spam advertisement.
March 6, 2015 @ 11:18 pm
oh! ok I hope the cd will have good songs on it when I buy it. I hope it don’t have bro-country or edm crap.
March 6, 2015 @ 8:41 pm
oh!
March 6, 2015 @ 8:43 pm
Trigger any idea who is singing female BGV’s on the ZBB version of Dress Blues? Didn’t know if it was anyone “significant” for lack of a better word as there is no female name in parentheses beside the track name. Sounds great though!
March 6, 2015 @ 11:00 pm
Have not seen anything about that. I’ll keep an eye out.
March 12, 2015 @ 10:18 am
Sounds a lot like Clare Bowen from the TV show Nashville.
July 3, 2015 @ 7:57 pm
I thought it was Clare Bowen, turns out to be Jewel
March 6, 2015 @ 10:02 pm
I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a Zac Brown fan, but I’ve definitely warmed up to them in the last year or so. Let me put it this way: I’m glad they’re out there doin’ their thang, even when it’s not always exactly my bag. (Can you dig it?)
Seriously, I see them as being a respectable mainstream Southern band, and one of the last of the breed in all of mainstream music when it comes to possessing broadly-ranging, top notch musical chops in an increasingly EDM world.
And this is great news for Jason Isbell. If independent country / roots artists and songwriters receiving greater mainstream exposure is going to be a trend, then it’s one I’m very excited about. Right on.
March 7, 2015 @ 1:45 am
Zac Brown Band fan*
March 6, 2015 @ 11:01 pm
Did Zac recorded Homegrown on their early independent cd’s?
March 6, 2015 @ 11:09 pm
I didn’t explain myself correctly. Did Zac Brown had a song “homegrown” before?
March 7, 2015 @ 11:10 am
Debut album was called “Home Grown” but doesn’t appear to have a track by that name on it, per allmusic.com
March 7, 2015 @ 7:52 pm
Chris Cornell is going to guest on this album? Chris Cornell? Well that’s certainly interesting. It’s hard to picture his screeching vocals in a country song, not that he hasn’t shown himself to be a versatile baritone in the past. Just remembered he played at a Johnny Cash festival a few months back.
April 6, 2015 @ 9:00 am
I heard the song last night on the LA Llyod Rock Countdown (it went from 25 to 9, NINE!)
It sound pretty good, not a country song, but still pretty good
Chris’ vocals fit the song very well actually