930club:

NEW TRACKS: Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires, “Born In The USA”

June 4 marked the 30^th anniversary of the Boss’ seminal and generation-defining Born In The USA, an album that has gone platinum in the US alone 15 times over. For this special anniversary, Nashville’s Lightning Rod Records will release Dead Man’s Town: A Tribute to Born In The USA on September 16. Each classic track will be covered by a different artist, with their spin put upon it. Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, often called the “First Couple of Americana,” open up this endeavor with their take on the title track. While the original’s jaunty bombast masks the lyrics whose woefulness casual listeners so often gloss over, Isbell’s and Shires’ cover is haunting, sparse, and foreboding. Chances are this version won’t get played at any political rallies.

-Kelsey Butterworth