17. March 2025
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Media Review

Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow

Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow
5

Rating

 5.0/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Outstanding storytelling
  • Eleven very different, meaningful stories

Jason Isbell recently toured Europe with his Intimate Evenings. On 7th March 2025, the US-American singer-songwriter releases a new album. Here is my review of Foxes in the Snow, which has been recorded in New York City with a 1940’s guitar in five days only.

 

 

Jason Isbell – About The Artist

Michael Jason Isbell is an artist from Green Hill in Alabama, where he was born on 1st February 1979. He initially became famous as a member of the Drive-By Truckers and is also working with his band The 400 Unit. On 10th July 2007, the Americana artist released his solo album Sirens of the Ditch. Foxes in the Snow is his tenth studio album, with three of them topping the US Country Charts. His releases were also Top 20 publications in the United Kingdom and Australia. Overall, Jason Isbell has won six Grammy Awards, the latest in 2024 for his most recent album Weathervanes (Best Americana Album) and Cast Iron Skilled for the Best American Roots Song.

 

Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 38 minutes.

1. Bury Me

Bury me where the wind don’t blow
Where the dust won’t cover me
Where the tall grass grows
Or bury me right where I fall
Tokyo to Tennessee
I loved them all

Foxes in the Snow opens with Bury Me, which has also been the first single release from the album. Jason Isbell indeed just needs his guitar and his voice to tell the stories of his songs. And they are excellent. The first song, at least, already gives a lovely, personal touch.

2. Ride to Roberts

We’ll ride to Robert’s in the afternoon – Jason Isbell is taking us to a Nashville honky-tonk in here. The scenery is typical and Jason Isbell describes the story in a lovely way. Count the cowboy hats, bachelorettes that don’t know where they are. A very peaceful, relaxed story told by the artist.

3. Eileen

Eileen is a unhappy love story. Isbell states Eileen you should have seen this coming sooner. Again, he does not need much more than his guitar with some chords and his voice to tell his story. That’s country music. And, regarding this song, this is country music at a high level.

4. Gravelweed

The fourth track on Foxes in the Snow is comparably loud and present. The song is about a break-up, the anger and emotions, which came with it. Jason Isbell is having a couple of instrumental passages in this song, which slow down the flow and by that als raise the intensity of the listen. I like it.

I was a gravelweed and I needed you to raise me
I’m sorry the day came when I felt like I was raised
And now that I live to see my melodies betray me
I’m sorry the love songs all mean different things today

5. Don’t Be Tough

Don’t Be Tough is one of the most melodic tracks on Foxes in the Snow. The song is about respecting each other and to be nice. Thereby, Jason Isbell is sending straight messages like Don’t be shitty to the waiter, he’s had a harder day than you. One of my favorite listens.

6. Open and Close

The second half of the album starts with Open and Close. It describes a scenery in a new York apartment. A very personal song, which again underlines the beautiful, picturesque storytelling of the artist.

7. Foxes in the Snow

At the seventh spot, Jason Isbell presents the title track of his 2025 album. The song is in fact a love song, which comes with a beautiful melody. It is absolutely worth the listen.

I love my love, her golden hair
I like to picture her alone when I’m not there
I like her friends – the ones I know
They leave drops of blood
like foxes in the snow

8. Crimson and Clay

Crimson and Clay is a dramatic, very personal one. The autobiographic songs looks back at difficult situations in Isbell’s life. Nonetheless, these parts of his life didn’t kill me after all. Thus, the song also somehow comes with a positive message.

I guess the city didn’t kill me after all
Thing that nearly took me out
was loneliness and alcohol
I just put it down and walked away
Crawled back to the crimson and the clay

9. Good While It Lasted

The four minute Good While It Lasted is not only one of the longest songs on Foxes in the Snow, but also very straight and lyrical. Similar to the song before, Isbell states and it was good while it lasted. Bad things come for a reason, good ones have their time. Both are part of life. The two songs combined come with a lovely message.

10. True Believer

From I really was a true believer babe to I’ll always be a true believer babe – the tenth song on the record comes with a looking back as well as a looking forward. All your girlfriends say I broke your fucking heart and I don’t like it. There’s a letter on the nightstand I don’t think I’ll ever read. Again, Isbell shows his excellence in telling personal stories in here. I absolutely love it.

11. Wind Behind the Rain

Jason Isbell closes his 2025 album with Wind Behind the Rain. The song is a beautiful love song, in which Isbell promises I’ll be the wind behind the rain. A lovely, metaphoric finale of this record.

 

Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

 

Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow – My View

Foxes in the Snow underlines the excellence by Jason Isbell to tell personal stories and transform them into music. I simply love listening to these eleven tracks and dive into the situations the artist is sharing with the listener. A truly great release.

Favorite Song: Foxes in the Snow

 

The Flyctory.com Club of Excellence

There are not too many reviews (of any kind) which make it to a 5.0 on Flyctory. Praise the best ones:

 

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