It's a hard truth, but so far Jason Isbell's solo career hasn't lived up to the promise he showed during his short tenure with Drive-By Truckers. When he left the group in 2007, he had held his own in a group full of top-shelf rock songwriters, displaying a flair for quiet drama and telling details. Out of the gate he started strong on in 2003 and owned the next year; "Outfit" may be his most quoted song, but "Danko/Manuel", ostensibly about the tragic Band members, was a better mission statement about saving a bit of yourself away from the gigs. sounded like rut in 2006, not just for Isbell but for the Truckers as a unit. The band immediately rebounded with one of the best albums of their formidable catalog, while Isbell, going solo, apparently took as a template, releasing solo albums with only a handful of memorable songs mixed in among rote southern rock.