Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Jason Isbell and his band the 400 Unit will release a special new covers album, Georgia Blue, October 15 with all proceeds benefitting three non-profit organizations: Black Voters Matter, Fair Fight and Georgia STAND-UP. Set for release via Isbell’s own Southeastern Records, the album is now available for pre-order HERE with additional information on all three organizations.
Created to celebrate Georgia’s role in the 2020 election, the record consists of new versions of thirteen songs with ties to the state, including tracks originally recorded by Georgia natives R.E.M., Drivn’ N’ Cryin’, James Brown, Cat Power, Precious Bryant, Otis Redding, The Black Crowes, Indigo Girls, Now It’s Overhead, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Allman Brothers Band and Vic Chesnutt. In addition to Isbell and the 400 Unit, Georgia Blue also features special collaborations with Julien Baker, Brandi Carlile, Béla Fleck, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin, Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Chris Thile, Sadler Vaden, Adia Victoria and John Paul White. Ahead of the release, Isbell’s new version of R.E.M.’s “Driver 8,” featuring Grammy Award-winner John Paul White, is debuting today—listen/share HERE.
Reflecting on the project, Isbell shares, “Georgia Blue is a labor of love. On election day 2020, when I saw that there was a good chance the state of Georgia might go blue, I came up with an idea: to record an album of Georgia-related songs as a thank you to the state and donate the money to a Georgia-based non-profit organization. I will admit my motivations were a bit selfish. For years, I’ve been looking for an excuse to record these songs with my band and some friends. The songs on this album are some of my favorite Georgia-related songs…We have roots and blues and R&B, so we enlisted some brilliant artists to help us pull off songs by Precious Bryant, James Brown and Gladys Knight. My favorite part of the Georgia Blue recording process was having the opportunity to work with these very special artists, and I thank them: Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Adia Victoria, Brandi Carlile, Julien Baker, Bèla Fleck, Chris Thile, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin and John Paul White. I hope you enjoy listening to these recordings as much as we enjoyed making them. Keep listening to good music and fighting the good fight.”
GEORGIA BLUE TRACK LIST
1. “Nightswimming” feat. Béla Fleck and Chris Thile (originally performed by R.E.M.)
2. “Honeysuckle Blue” feat. Sadler Vaden (originally performed by Drivin’ N’ Cryin’)
3. “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” feat. Brittney Spencer (originally performed by
James Brown)
4. “Cross Bones Style” feat. Amanda Shires (originally performed by Cat Power)
5. “The Truth” feat. Adia Victoria (originally performed by Precious Bryant)
6. “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long” (originally performed by Otis Redding)
7. “Sometimes Salvation” feat. Steve Gorman (originally performed by The Black Crowes)
8. “Kid Fears” feat. Julien Baker and Brandi Carlile (originally performed by Indigo Girls)
9. “Reverse” (originally performed by Now It’s Overhead)
10. “Midnight Train To Georgia” feat. Brittney Spencer and John Paul White (originally performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips)
11. “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” feat. Peter Levin (originally performed by The Allman
Brothers Band)
12. “I’m Through” (originally performed by Vic Chesnutt)
13. “Driver 8” feat. John Paul White (originally performed by R.E.M.)
JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
September 14—Vienna, VA—Wolf Trap*
September 15—Philadelphia, PA—Met Opera House†
September 17—Fredericton, Canada—Harvest Music Festival
September 18—Boston, MA—The Wang Theatre‡
September 19—East Aurora, NY—Borderland Music Festival
September 20—Detroit, MI—The Fillmore§
September 24—New York, NY—Rooftop at Pier 17+
September 25—New York, NY—Rooftop at Pier 17+
September 26—Richmond, VA—Virginia Credit Union Live! at Richmond Raceway+
October 2-3—Florence, AL—ShoalsFest
October 7—Mobile, AL—Saenger Theatre# (SOLD OUT)
October 8—Memphis, TN—Soundstage at Graceland§
October 10—Oklahoma City, OK—The Criterion
October 15—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium^ (SOLD OUT)
October 16—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium§ (SOLD OUT)
October 17—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium° (SOLD OUT)
October 19—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium%
October 20—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium**
October 22—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium†† (SOLD OUT)
October 23—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium+ (SOLD OUT)
October 24—Nashville, TN—Ryman Auditorium‡‡
November 26—Durham, NC—Durham Performing Arts Center§§
November 27—Durham, NC—Durham Performing Arts Center§§
November 28—Greenville, SC—The Peace Center‡
November 30—St. Louis, MO—Stifel Theatre++
December 1—Minneapolis, MN—The Armory++
December 2—Milwaukee, WI—Riverside Theater++
December 4—East Moline, IL—The Rust Belt++
December 5—Owensboro, KY—Owensboro Sportscenter‡
December 7—Moon, PA—UPMC Events Center++
December 8—Akron, OH—Akron Civic Theatre##
December 10—Cincinnati, OH—Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center^^
December 11—Cincinnati, OH—Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center^^
December 12—Pikeville, KY—Appalachian Wireless Arena°°
December 16—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle§
December 17—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle%%
December 18—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle‡
December 19—Atlanta, GA—The Tabernacle°°
February 24, 2022—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield Theatre~
February 25, 2022—San Francisco, CA—The Warfield Theatre~
February 26, 2022—Santa Barbara, CA—The Arlington Theatre~
March 1, 2022—Vancouver, Canada—The Orpheum~
March 2, 2022—Seattle, WA—Paramount Theatre~
June 18, 2022—Williamsburg, VA—Williamsburg Live at DeWitt Museum
August 26-28, 2022—Tisbury, MA—Beach Road Weekend
*with special guest Waxahatchee
†with special guest Kathleen Edwards
‡with special guest S.G. Goodman
§with special guest Brittney Spencer
+with special guest Joy Oladokun
#with special guest Rob Aldridge
^with special guest Amanda Shires
°with special guest Mickey Guyton
%with special guest Amythyst Kiah
**with special guest Shemekia Copeland
††with special guest Allison Russell
‡‡with special guest Adia Victoria
§§with special guest Hiss Golden Messenger
++with special guest Strand of Oaks
##with special guest Molly Tuttle
^^with special guest Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives
°°with special guest Morgan Wade
%%with special guest Gabe Lee
~with special guest Lucinda Williams
