Jason Isbell Solo work What kind of work he did? Jason Isbell released his first solo album, Sirens of the Ditch, on July 10, 2007.
How did the album sale?
How did the Sirens of the Ditch sell?
Jason Isbell released his first solo album, Sirens of the Ditch, on July 10, 2007. In 2012, Isbell supported singer-songwriter Ryan Adams on his tour. Both played solo acoustic sets.  On June 11, 2013, Isbell released his fourth solo album, Southeastern. Produced by Dave Cobb and featuring accompanying vocals by Kim Richey and Isbell's wife, Amanda Shires, Southeastern received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, earning a score of 87 on Metacritic. Southeastern led to Isbell's clean sweep of the 2014 Americana Music Awards. Southeastern won Album of the Year, Isbell was named Artist of the Year, and the song "Cover Me Up" was named Song of the Year. NPR rock critic Ken Tucker listed Southeastern at No. 1 on his top ten albums of 2013. Isbell's record received praise by artists like Bruce Springsteen and John Prine. Isbell's music video for the song "Traveling Alone" features the Jackson House, a historic home in Moulton, Alabama. In 2014, his song "Cover Me Up" was used as the weather for the Welcome to Night Vale episode "Visitor".  Isbell's fifth solo record, Something More Than Free, was released on July 17, 2015, on Southeastern Records. Dave Cobb produced, continuing the partnership created with Isbell on Southeastern. They recorded the album at Nashville's Sound Emporium studio with a full band. During the summer of 2015, Isbell was on a North American tour to promote the album, with four consecutive sold-out nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville at the end of October. In April 2016, Isbell appeared on the BBC live-music show Later With Jools Holland, singing "The Life You Chose", one of the tracks from Something More Than Free.  Isbell said that compared to Southeastern, Something More Than Free has a feeling of celebration, which reflects his upcoming fatherhood and a forward-facing momentum. One track on the record, "To a Band I Loved", is a love-letter to the band Centro-Matic, a now defunct band from Denton, Texas, Isbell played with back in his Drive-By Truckers days.  Something More Than Free debuted at number 1 on Billboard Magazine's rock, folk and country record charts. Although Isbell had had critical success in the Americana genre, this was the first time he received such high ranking across genres. The album was well received, winning two Grammy awards for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song ("24 Frames"). On May 11, 2016, Isbell, a four-time winner, was nominated for three more Americana Music Honors & Awards: Album of the Year (Something More Than Free), Song of the Year ("24 Frames"), and Artist of the Year. He won the first two, while Chris Stapleton won Artist of the Year. CANNOTANSWER
Southeastern received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, earning a score of 87 on Metacritic.
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell has won four Grammy Awards.

Early life 
Isbell was born in Green Hill, Alabama, two miles from the Alabama/Tennessee state line, the son of interior designer mother Angela Hill Barnett and house painter Mike Isbell. Isbell's mother was only 17 years old (and his father 19 years old) when he was born and is the subject of a song, "Children of Children". Isbell's parents divorced, and he has two much younger half-siblings.

Isbell grew up in North Alabama. His grandparents lived on a farm down the road next to the school that Isbell attended; they looked after him while his parents were at work. His grandfather and uncle taught him to play various musical instruments, including the mandolin when he was six years old, as it was easier for him to grip as a small child. They enjoyed gospel music, bluegrass music, and the Grand Ole Opry. In high school, he played trumpet and French horn. Isbell's family would get together and play music every week, sometimes twice a week. Isbell's paternal grandfather, who came from a musical family, was a Pentecostal preacher and played guitar in church. Isbell spent his childhood attending both the Pentecostal church and the stricter Church of Christ, which permitted only singing without musical instruments.

Isbell started playing in a garage band and a country cover band when he was 14 or 15 years old with his friend, songwriter Chris Tompkins. They played at the Grand Ole Opry when Isbell was 16.

Isbell attended the University of Memphis, studying English and creative writing. He did not graduate, still requiring one physical education credit.

Career 
When Isbell was a teenager, many musicians took him under their wing. He got to know session bassist David Hood, father of Drive-By Truckers co-founder Patterson Hood, because David Hood was in the Florence, Alabama area and played around town on Friday and Saturday nights in local restaurants and bars. By this time, Patterson Hood and his future Drive-By Truckers co-founder, Mike Cooley,  were older and had moved out of town. Isbell would go watch David Hood and others perform. It took a while, but once he finally got up the nerve to tell them he played, they would have him sit in with them, which resulted in friendship and mentorship.

Isbell submitted demos and eventually got a publishing deal with FAME Studios of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, when he was 21. He worked with FAME for 15 years, through his solo album Southeastern. Isbell also recorded pieces of his solo albums at FAME Studios, as well as the Drive-By Truckers' The Dirty South.

Drive-By Truckers 

In 2001, at age 22, Isbell joined the Drive-By Truckers while they toured in support of their album Southern Rock Opera. The band operates out of Athens, Georgia, where Isbell lived while with the band. Co-founder Patterson Hood recalls that he met Isbell through Dick Cooper, a mutual friend from Muscle Shoals. Hood invited Isbell to join the Drive-By Truckers after he sat in with the group at an acoustic house party when guitarist Rob Malone did not show up.

Isbell recorded and contributed many songs to the Drive-By Truckers for their next three albums, 2003's Decoration Day, 2004's The Dirty South, and 2006's A Blessing and a Curse. The title track of Decoration Day was revealed by Isbell in the 2014 Live from Lincoln Center concert to be a true story about his family members.

For most of his time as a band member, Isbell was married to Shonna Tucker, who joined the band after Isbell as bassist. The two were part of the band's documentary, The Secret to a Happy Ending. The two later divorced.

On April 5, 2007, Isbell announced that he was no longer a member of the Drive-By Truckers. The following day, Patterson Hood confirmed the break on the band's official site. In his letter to the fans, Hood described the parting of ways as "amicable" and expressed the hope that fans would continue to support the Drive-By Truckers as well as Isbell's solo efforts. Isbell had been with the Drive-By Truckers for six years.

On June 15, 2014, Isbell teamed with Hood and Mike Cooley for a benefit at the Shoals Theater in Florence, Alabama. The sold-out acoustic performance was the first time Isbell had performed with his former bandmates since they split in 2007. In August 2015, Hood joined Isbell onstage and played a couple of Drive-By Truckers songs together in Hood's new adopted hometown of Portland, Oregon.

Solo work 
Isbell released his first solo album, Sirens of the Ditch, on July 10, 2007. In 2012, Isbell supported singer-songwriter Ryan Adams on his tour. Both played solo acoustic sets.

On June 11, 2013, Isbell released his fourth solo album, Southeastern. Produced by Dave Cobb and featuring accompanying vocals by Kim Richey and Isbell's wife, Amanda Shires, Southeastern received overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, earning a score of 87 on Metacritic. Southeastern led to Isbell's clean sweep of the 2014 Americana Music Awards. Southeastern won Album of the Year, Isbell was named Artist of the Year, and the song "Cover Me Up" was named Song of the Year. It was later certified Gold by RIAA in 2022. NPR rock critic Ken Tucker listed Southeastern at No. 1 on his top ten albums of 2013. Isbell's record received praise by artists like Bruce Springsteen and John Prine. The music video for the song "Traveling Alone" features the Jackson House, a historic home in Moulton, Alabama.

Isbell's fifth solo record, Something More Than Free, was released on July 17, 2015, on Southeastern Records. Dave Cobb again produced the album, which was recorded at Nashville's Sound Emporium studio with a full band. During the summer of 2015, Isbell was on a North American tour to promote the album, with four consecutive sold-out nights at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville at the end of October. In April 2016, Isbell appeared on the BBC live-music show Later With Jools Holland, singing "The Life You Chose", one of the tracks from Something More Than Free.

Isbell said that compared to Southeastern, Something More Than Free has a feeling of celebration, which reflects his upcoming fatherhood and a forward-facing momentum. One track on the record, "To a Band I Loved", is a love-letter to the band Centro-Matic, a now defunct band from Denton, Texas, Isbell played with back in his Drive-By Truckers days.

Something More Than Free debuted at number 1 on Billboard Magazine's rock, folk and country record charts. Although Isbell had had critical success in the Americana genre, this was the first time he received such high ranking across genres. The album was well received, winning two Grammy awards for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song ("24 Frames"). On May 11, 2016, Isbell, a four-time winner, was nominated for three more Americana Music Honors & Awards: Album of the Year (Something More Than Free), Song of the Year ("24 Frames"), and Artist of the Year. He won the first two, while Chris Stapleton won Artist of the Year.

Emergence of The 400 Unit 
Isbell's band, The 400 Unit, is primarily made up of musicians from the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, area. The lineup is:
 Sadler Vaden, guitar, backup vocals – also of Drivin' N Cryin'
 Jimbo Hart, bass, backup vocals
 Derry DeBorja, keyboard, accordion, backup vocals – formerly of Son Volt
 Chad Gamble, drums, backup vocals – brother of Al Gamble
 Amanda Shires, fiddle, backup vocals

The band's name comes from the 400 Unit, a colloquial name for the psychiatric ward of Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Alabama. It was originally called the 400 Unit because it was in a separate building from the main three-story hospital. After renovation in the 1980s, the ward was renamed as the Behavioral Health Center, also known as 1st North, and is located on the hospital's first floor.

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit's eponymous album was released on February 17, 2009, on Lightning Rod Records. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit was Isbell's second solo release and his first release with The 400 Unit. Matt Pence of Centro-Matic co-produced and engineered the record, as well as playing drums on the record.

Isbell and the 400 Unit released their second album, Here We Rest, on April 12, 2011, on Lightning Rod Records. The album was produced and recorded by the band. The song "Alabama Pines" was named Song of the Year at the 2012 Americana Music Awards.

On March 13, 2017, Isbell announced a new album with the 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound. The album was released on June 16, 2017. Isbell and the band won the Grammy Award for Best Americana Album and Isbell won Grammy Award for Best American Roots Song at the 60th ceremony.

In October 2017, Isbell was announced to be the official artist-in-residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He made a guest appearance on John Prine's 2018 album The Tree of Forgiveness. Isbell contributed the ballad "Maybe It's Time" to the soundtrack of the 2018 film A Star Is Born, where it was performed by actor Bradley Cooper's character, Jackson Maine.

On February 11, 2020, Isbell announced a new album, Reunions. It was released on May 15, 2020. Reunions sees Isbell once again working with producer Dave Cobb and features guest vocals by Jay Buchanan of Rival Sons and David Crosby. The album announcement was made alongside the release of the first song of the album, "Be Afraid", which peaked at a career high number 5 on the Adult Alternative Songs chart. Also, second single, "Dreamsicle" peaked at number 20 on the same chart.

On November 5, 2020, Isbell announced on Twitter that if Joe Biden won the state of Georgia in the 2020 United States presidential election, he would record a charity album featuring covers of songs by Georgia artists, such as R.E.M. and Gladys Knight. After it was projected that Biden had won the state, he reaffirmed on Twitter that he was being serious and that he would begin work on the album shortly. The album, entitled Georgia Blue, was formally announced on September 14, 2021 with release dates of October 15 for the digital version and November 26 for CD and vinyl. Isbell and the 400 Unit contributed a cover of the Metallica song "Sad but True" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September 2021.

Acting 
Isbell's first acting role came in 2016 when he guest starred in the animated TV series Squidbillies, providing the voice of pastor Kyle Nubbins. The show has featured other Americana singers in cameo roles, including Elizabeth Cook, Todd Snider, and the Drive-By Truckers, among others. In 2019, Isbell had a cameo as a guitar-playing wedding guest in the HBO film Deadwood: The Movie. Billions, another TV series known for giving cameo roles to musicians, featured Isbell in a 2021 episode, with Isbell playing himself viewing an art exhibit.

In 2021, Isbell was cast in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film Killers of the Flower Moon as Bill Smith, a victim of the Osage Indian murders. Isbell's role in the film was announced on April 6, 2021, and will mark his major on-screen acting debut; fellow country singer Sturgill Simpson was also announced as being part of the cast.

Musical influences 
Isbell has spoken about the importance of his northern Alabama roots: "I definitely don't feel like I would be the musician that I am, or the type of songwriter, had I not come from that particular place," he says now. "The soul music that came out of there, and a lot of the soul-influenced rock and roll and country music that came out of the studios in north Alabama in the 1960s and 1970s had a big influence on me." Isbell said that working at FAME Studios was "everything" to him, that it was "a gateway towards the music that he wanted to play". In addition to citing Neil Young as a big influence, Isbell is a fan of singer-songwriter Ben Howard and guitarist Blake Mills.

Personal life 
Isbell was previously married to Shonna Tucker, a fellow musician from the Muscle Shoals, Alabama community and a former bass player for Drive-By Truckers. Isbell and Tucker were married in 2002.

Isbell married singer-songwriter and violinist Amanda Shires, with whom he had worked on and off for a decade, in February 2013, two days after they finished Southeastern. Musician Todd Snider officiated their wedding. The couple have a daughter.

In February 2012, Shires, Isbell's manager Traci Thomas, and Ryan Adams initiated an intervention, leading to Isbell entering a rehabilitation treatment program at Cumberland Heights in Nashville. Isbell has discussed getting sober extensively, saying he drank Jack Daniel's and did cocaine during his time with Drive-By Truckers in his late 20s—a time he does not remember very clearly. Southeastern, Isbell's 2013 solo album, is reflective of his newfound sober lifestyle.

Isbell has a tattoo on the inside of his left arm with a quotation from the lyrics of the Bob Dylan song "Boots of Spanish Leather". He said that the quote "reminds him about the idea of salvaging things", that for him it "evokes the idea of loss as well as learning and growing from the experience". During the 2015 Newport Folk Festival, Isbell cited Dylan as a huge influence on his writing.

Isbell has lived in Nashville, Tennessee, since 2011.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Singles

Music videos

Producer credit

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Americana Music Honors & Awards 
The Americana Music Honors & Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in the genre of Americana. Isbell has won nine awards out of 19 nominations.

Country Music Association Awards 
The CMA Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in country music. Isbell has received one nomination.

Country Music Hall of Fame

Daytime Emmy Awards 
The Daytime Emmy Awards are American accolades bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. Isbell has received one nomination.

Grammy Awards 
The Grammy Awards celebrate outstanding achievement in music. Isbell has won 4 awards out of 4 nominations.

UK Americana Awards 
The UK Americana Awards celebrate the best roots music released in the UK and internationally. Isbell has received two nominations.

Home media 
 Weissman, Barr, Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley, Shonna Tucker, Brad Morgan, John Neff, and Jason Isbell. The Secret to a Happy Ending: A Documentary About the Drive-By Truckers. New York: ATO Records, 2011. (DVD of 2009 documentary)

See also 
 Drive-By Truckers
 Muscle Shoals Sound Studio
 Muscle Shoals, Alabama
 Amanda Shires

References

External links 

 JasonIsbell.com (official site)

1979 births
Living people
People from Lauderdale County, Alabama
American male singer-songwriters
American country rock singers
American country singer-songwriters
American rock guitarists
American male guitarists
American rock singers
American rock songwriters
New West Records artists
Americana Music Honors & Awards winners
Grammy Award winners
Drive-By Truckers members
Guitarists from Alabama
21st-century American singers
Country musicians from Alabama
21st-century American guitarists
21st-century American male singers
Thirty Tigers artists
Singer-songwriters from Alabama
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale is the twenty-second studio album by American recording artist Prince. It was released on August 24, 1999 by Warner Bros. Records. The album was submitted to Warner Bros. Records in 1996, complete with artwork at the same time as Chaos and Disorder, but released three years later, shortly before Prince's Arista album release Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic. The album was recorded from 1985 through 1996. It was the last album to be released by Warner Bros. to fulfill his 1992 contract obligations.

Fans often complain that the songs have been overworked and watered down from the original versions that can be heard on various bootlegs, particularly "Old Friends 4 Sale". Little promotion was done in the United States or United Kingdom to support the album. "Extraordinary" was occasionally performed during his 2002 One Nite Alone... Tour.

Background and release 
The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was Prince's first release with Warner Bros. Records since his eighteenth studio album, Chaos and Disorder (1996). His previous three albums, Emancipation (1996), Crystal Ball (1998), and The Truth (1998), were all released independently by NPG Records.

Promotion 
Unlike his previous studio albums, Prince did not embark on a concert series or tour and did very little to promote the album. The lack of a proper tour would continue until the release of his twenty-fifth studio album, One Nite Alone... (2002). Prince's next tour would not be until late 2000, when he began the Hit n Run Tour.

Singles 
"Extraordinary" was released as the album's only and lead single on August 10, 1999, two weeks before the album's scheduled release. The song was released as a CD single and sent to mainstream radio on the same day; the CD single included the album version of the single. The single, however, did not manage to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his sixth consecutive single to do so.

Three promotional singles were also released from The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale. The first promotional single, "The Rest of My Life", was released in Japan in 1999 as a promotional CD single, and included "Extraordinary" as the CD's second track. "5 Women" was the second promo single, also released as a CD single, but exclusively in Germany. The third and final promotional single, "It's About That Walk", was also released in Germany.

Critical reception 

After its release, The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In a fairly positive review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "an unassuming, jazzy little record that's damn near irresistible." Erlewine suggested that the tracks were comparable to the material found on Graffiti Bridge (1990). Entertainment Weekly'''s Marc Weingarten appreciated the album, stating that it "sounds more committed than a lot of his indie releases"; however, Weingarten noted that Prince fans would enjoy the album more.

In a mixed review, Mark Zeltner of PopMatters enjoyed songs "Extraordinary" and "It's About That Walk", but criticized the record's "lack of a cohesive musical theme", also calling the track listing "a series of songs that were forgotten or discarded long ago by their creator." A reviewer from Mojo was more mixed with the album, calling it "pleasing though predictable". Keith Phipps, writing for The A.V. Club, was disappointed by the album, blaming Warner Bros. for the "none-too-generous selection of material". Similarly, a critic from NME found the songs to be "mediocre", also noting that Warner Bros. takes "revenge on their erstwhile slave".

 Commercial performance The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was moderately unsuccessful after its release, peaking at the lower positions of most record charts. In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at position eighty-five on the Billboard 200. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number forty-seven, becoming his highest charting album since Emancipation (1996). The album was somewhat successful in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number sixteen. Elsewhere, the album was unsuccessful. In France and Germany, it peaked at positions sixty-four and forty-four, respectively.

 Track listing 
All songs written and produced by Prince.

Charts

References

External links
 The Vault ... Old Friends 4 Sale'' at Discogs

1999 albums
Prince (musician) albums
Albums produced by Prince (musician)
Warner Records albums All the Light Above It Too is the seventh studio album by American musician Jack Johnson. The album was released on September 8, 2017. The album's lead single, titled "My Mind Is for Sale", was released on July 14, 2017. It is the first release by Johnson since the 2013 album From Here to Now to You.

Composition
Brushfire Records originally made a deal with Johnson to release a new album every two years, which set the release date for November 2015. But Jack did not want to write a song when he did not feel like it; he wanted to write it when it felt natural. The first song written from the album was "Fragments." The song was written during the filming of the movie The Smog of the Sea. It first started off as a small jam session between the crew, and is featured in the movie. As Jack talked about in a "Billboard" Podcast, he didn't know that he was starting the creation of an album with this song. It was not until he wrote "Subplots" (Which was also written during the filming of the movie) that he knew that an album was developing. Both of these songs were the ones that represent nature, and pollution in our environment. He also said that "Subplots" was put at the beginning of the album because it was a great thesis statement for the entire album. "My Mind Is for Sale" was one of two songs that was written about Donald Trump on the album. The song was written just after he won the election and clearly states how Trump is building walls, and putting borders around our beautiful world. The song also focuses on the immigrant ban that Trump enforced very early in his presidency. The second song about Trump, is the ninth track on the album, "Gather." The song features powerful lyrics such as "Well some of us need to gather, and others gonna have to kill. With everybody so pre-occupied, who's gonna pay the bill?" The song mainly talks about everyone focused on the United States presidential election of 2016, and how the people should gather together and stand up against making borders.

Production
The album was produced by a friend of Johnson, Robbie Lackritz, and recorded at Mango Tree Studio, where he recorded most of his other albums. The album was mostly inspired by the sayings of Donald Trump, surfing, and camping. Also, Johnson had just recently worked on the short documentary, "Smog of the Sea", and released his song "Fragments". The documentary took a one-week journey through the sea to study animals, and sea creatures. This got Johnson thinking about what Trump has said about pollution and global warming, and has also included this in his album. Johnson's songs were mostly written while he was camping in the wilderness, or on boats. This was because his home studio is too quiet and you can hear your thoughts when you are trying to write, which makes it not such a productive writing place. "I wrote these songs when I was out of [cellular] reception and phones can't ring, there's not a lot else to do, so we play a lot of guitar," Johnson says. On these camping and boat trips, Johnson brought his backpack with a ukulele in it and with an acoustic guitar. When Jack wrote the album, he made it feature a more groovy style similar to his 2008 album Sleep Through the Static. Johnson originally did not originally have a plan with Brushfire Records to make the record, but decided to make a record by himself. He hopes that the album makes people feel good about such a beautiful world, and to come clean about how we feel. The first track of the album called "Subplots" is the introduction to the album which states that all of the other tracks supplement that one which collages all the songs together. A segment on the song was released on "Outside Online" as a podcast which plays the lines "And all the light up to the sun, and all the light above it too is gunna rise and shine." This states that no matter how bad things get, we will always have nature to believe in, love, and cherish. And how the sun just doesn't shine up, but everywhere and to others. The album then goes on to tell a large story in chronological order. The first four songs of the album are all socially political songs, and once you reach "Big Sur" you get happy, because it is a happy place to go on vacation. Most of the first four songs are written about current events in the news, which was very predictable coming from Johnson. This is because many of his past songs have been about the news, including "The News", "Cookie Jar", and "Good People". In this case the songs give hints about Trump's quote "fake news". On the "Outside Online" podcast, Johnson also explained that he has a rule that he has to have a song to express his love with his wife Kim on every album. On this album, that song is "Love Song #16". "Gather" is a later song on the album that talks about people standing up against Trump. The song features a more pop and melodic groove, while Johnson decided to add in several instrumental percussion noises. "Gather" is one of the few songs off of the album to truly go through full post-production, and the style is similar to Beck's album Mellow Gold.

Development
The idea of the title of the album came from the first song that was recorded on the album called "Subplots". Johnson says that there is so much trouble in the world now with pollution and how a reality tv host became the president of the US, but that there is a beautiful world to appreciate. He decided to name the album "All the Light Above it Too" because it refers to the sun and how it shines in all directions during the day. Few of the songs went through post-production, which means that most of the songs are pure. Some of the songs that did go through post production are "My Mind Is for Sale", "Sunsets for Somebody Else", and "Gather".

Recording

The album was recorded at "Mango Tree Studio" in Hawaii just after the election. Johnson first usually makes sketches of the songs and then records them, but this time the sketches were the final songs. Robbie Lackritz was in the studio during the recording and added that few edits were made to the songs, and that they were mostly pure. Jack's regular band helped him record this album, but only on a few tracks. The band features Adam Topol, Zach Gill, and Merlo Podlewski. Johnson recorded the album during a particularly good surfing season, so he could not concentrate when he was recording because of all his friends texting him about the waves. This made the recording of the album take a lot more time. Johnson played all of the instruments for the demos of the album, but at first was just recording these songs with a friend. At first when he started to record the album, he didn't realize that it was actually going to become an album. After he realized it, he decided to call in his three bandmates to record some of the parts because they could play the instruments better. The equipment that Johnson used to record the album is far from fancy. Jack used his old Mathushek piano that was seen in the "My Mind is For Sale" lyric video. According to Johnson, he  bought the piano for $99 at a Salvation Army as a Valentine's Day present for his then girlfriend Kim. Johnson also used the voice memos app, and an old Cassette recorder to record him singing. Most of the guitar recording was done using Jack's first-ever guitar that he got when he was 13, which was the Guild Acoustic Guitar. The rest was recorded using an Epiphone Les Paul. Johnson first recorded the songs Voice Memo app on his iPhone 7, and originally performed with all of the instruments played by him. Before Johnson would choose which songs to put on the album, he decided to play them to some of hs friends including Robbie Lackritz. One song, "My Mind is For Sale" got mixed reviews and he knew that this would be a great song to add onto the album. Instead of Johnson playing all of the instruments on the album, he thought that it would be more appropriate if he got his old bandmates to play some of the instruments. The only two songs on the album to feature an electric guitar was "Subplots" & "You Can't Control it."

Release
The album was originally planned to be released in June 2017 along with the start of his tour, but was delayed when his friend Kelly Slater called Johnson to go surfing in the Marshall Islands. This nearly caused Johnson to cancel his album fully. The album was eventually released on September 8, 2017. Johnson extended his tour dates in the US, and South America and set up a pre-order for his new album on his website, with pre-orders for the vinyl or CD versions of the album available. He also set up a Digital & Lithograph bundle, in which the first 500 will be signed. In Australia, anyone who pre-orders a CD copy of the album automatically gets an entry to win a signed Epiphone Pro-1 Ultra Acoustic/ Electric Guitar. Anyone that purchased a ticket to his All the Light Above It Too Tour received a code that enabled them to receive a free physical copy of the album. "Outside Online" is doing a pre-order of the album that features one extra song called "Single-Use Plastic," which he has performed before in lunch cafeteria's, and at plastic free benefits. The album was released wity a 22-page built in booklet, and dedicated to Ben Beverly. The paper used for the cd is 100% recycled paper, and a portion of the proceeds go to One Percent for the Planet. Johnson says that he does not care if his album didn't make it to number 1 on the Billboard 200, but would be happy if it did. If the album did debut at no. 1, it would be his fifth consecutive album to and he would tie for third place for Most consecutive albums to debut at number-one, along with U2, Madonna, and Disturbed.

Singles
In February 2017, Johnson released a new song "Fragments" to accompany the Smog of the Sea film. Along with the release of "Fragments", Johnson also teased an album release, and announced his 2017 Summer Tour. The first single of the album, "My Mind Is for Sale" was released on July 14, 2017. Johnson said the video cost zero dollars to make, and used his phone and sons' blocks to make the video. Along with the video release, Johnson announced his new album to come out on September 8, 2017 on his Instagram. "My Mind is For Sale" peaked at number 40 on the US Billboard Hot Rock Songs and number 2 on the US Adult Alternative chart. The second single, "Sunsets For Somebody Else" was released on August 3, 2017. The third single of the album, "You Can't Control It" was released on August 25, 2017 with a music video to accompany it. A limited edition 10" vinyl EP for "You Can't Control It" was released by Republic Records in Peru to help support Johnson's show at the Jockey Club del Perú, and in select stores in the US. The EP contains a live track of "My Mind Is for Sale", "I Wrote Mr. Tambourine Man", "Sunsets for Somebody Else", "Mudfootball", and "You Can't Control It". Johnson announced that his next single from the album would be "Big Sur" which he announced when performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on September 9, 2017. "Big Sur" was released as the fourth single from the album on September 18, 2017 and feature a remix of the song by Mike D from the Beastie Boys. On April 20, 2018 "Willie Got Me Stoned" was released as the fifth single from the deluxe edition of the album. "Love Song #16" will be released as the sixth single from the album, and it is set to be released for radio promotion on September 15, 2018.

Album cover
The album cover was shot on a beach of the windward side of the Hawaiian Islands where North Pacific Gyre carries a lot of plastic onto the beach. All of the plastic used was found on the beach within a 90-meter radius, and found within one hour. The plastic found was featured in the "You Can't Control It" music video. Charities such as "5 Gyres," and the "Bahamas Plastic Movement" helped collect plastic from the cover. Johnson stated that when he shot the album cover for the first time he did not see that being the cover for the next album. He originally had planned for it to just be a fun project to promote awareness of plastic pollution.

Promotion

To promote the album, Johnson announced his 2017 Summer & Fall tour. So far the tour consists of a US leg, a South American leg, and an Australian leg. More dates are expected to be added. Artists such as Bahamas, John Craigie, and ALO. Johnson's shows at the Santa Barbara Bowl were plastic free days, in which everyone who attended received a re-usable Jack Johnson metal cup, and this helped promote Brushfire's film Smog of the Sea. Johnson also booked his first show in New Zealand in five years for the tour to promote the album. Johnson's average show gross from the tour was $758,437. Johnson also promoted the album by going on a number of radio shows and doing a podcast with "Outside Online". In addition, he teamed up with Beats 1 and did a live stream the day before the release of the album. Jack has a new Pandora Radio channel that played only songs from this album until September 19, 2017.

On Black Friday 2017 Jack released all of his 2017 Tour merchandise to the public on his website. The products included an exclusive Aloha Kealopiko hand printed surfing shirt. Also, the two Steely's reusable drinkware cups that were available for the album pre-order were released.

Critical reception 

All the Light Above It Too has received mixed reviews from music critics. The album received a score of 62 out of 100 on the review aggregator website Metacritic, based on 5 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The Cavalier Daily ranked All the Light Above It Too the fourth-most anticipated album coming out this fall. They reviewed the track "My Mind Is for Sale", and "Sunsets for Somebody Else". They explained that Johnson's new album is anticipated to have a mixture between his slower and newer style, plus some of his faster more upbeat older songs. The album was ranked in front of Pink's album Beautiful Trauma and Shania Twain's Now. The Times UK gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, and criticized Johnson for being too political in his songs

Rolling Stone gave the album a positive review, clearing the album to be a great album to listen to on the beach, or when having friends and enjoying cocktails.

Track listing
Credits adapted from Jack Johnson's official website.

Personnel
 Jack Johnson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, drums, piano
 Adam Topol – drums, percussion (tracks 1, 4 and 6)
 Zach Gill – piano, accordion (Tracks 2 and 9) 
 Merlo Podlewski – bass (tracks 4 and 6) 
 Robbie Lackritz – synths (track 2)

Chart performance 
The album debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, making it Johnson's seventh top five album and selling 54,000 copies in its first week. The album also debuted at number 1 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart. In its second week, the album dropped to number 24, and also dropped to number 4 on the Americana/Folk Albums. Three weeks after the album's release, it dropped to 106 selling 4,000 copies. The album also debut at number 8 on the Canadian Albums Chart.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Release history

References

2017 albums
Jack Johnson (musician) albums
Republic Records albums
Brushfire Records albums