Afgelopen maandag kondigden Jason Isbell en zijn 400 Unit aan dat ze op 15 mei met een nieuw album komen, getiteld: ‘Reasons’. De eerste single van de plaat is het nummer: ‘Be Afraid’. In het nummer roept Isbell zijn collega’s op om zich uit te spreken en hun publiek te inspireren. Vooral in de country muziek zijn veel artiesten bang en terughoudend om zich uit te spreken over bv hun politieke voorkeur. Als je dat wel doet, zoals de Dixie Chicks dat ooit deden, dan krijg je de hoon van het volk over je heen. Maar doe het toch maar wees bang, wees heel bang maar doe het toch maar.

Isbell spreekt zich graag uit, als kost hem dat fans zo vertelde hij in een interview met Rolling Stone in 2018 het volgende:
“I’d like to be able to say, ‘I did what I could, I did part of what I could,’ or you know, something that’s not just, ‘Well, I had records to sell, so I kept my mouth shut.’ I’ll never lose sleep over not selling more records, but I’ll definitely lose sleep over keeping my mouth shut and letting things happen to people who are minorities for whatever reason, be it gender or their race or their sexual preference or the fact that they ‘like science.’”

Op 11 november staan Isbell en zijn mannen in Paradiso in Amsterdam, ik ben daar weer bij. Isbell is wat mij betreft en dat laat hij ook weer met dit nummer zien, de beste singer/songwriter van het moment. De eerste single smaakt naar meer!

We’ve been testing you, and you failed, to see how long you could sit with the truth but you bailed.
I don’t think you even recognize the loss of control, I don’t think you even see it in yourself.
See every one of us is counting dice that we didn’t roll, and the loser is the last to ask for help.

Be afraid, be very afraid, but do it anyway, do it anyway

The stage belongs to you, and you feel like a star.
And you can bark and snap like a dog at the man who just tuned your guitar.
And I don’t think you even recognize the kid in the wings, and I don’t think you even see her in yourself.
She looks to you for what to do with all her delicate dreams,
But you’re too terrified to be of any help.

Be afraid, be very afraid, do it anyway, do it anyway.
Be afraid, be very afraid, do it anyway, do it anyway.

And we don’t take requests; we won’t shut up and sing.
Tell the truth enough you find it rhymes with everything.

We’ve been testing you and you failed, to see how long that you could hold it in before you screamed,
But you only exhaled.
I don’t think you even recognize the sound of your voice when its blasting through the speakers in the sky.
And if your words add up to nothing then you’re making a choice to sing a cover when we need a battle cry.

Be afraid, be very afraid, do it anyway, do it anyway.
Be afraid, be very afraid, do it anyway, do it anyway.
Be afraid, be very afraid, do it anyway, do it anyway.
Be afraid, be very afraid, do it anyway, do it anyway.