Sirens of the Ditch was the first solo album released by singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 and former Drive-By Truckers

Drive-By Truckers

Drive-By Truckers are an alternative country/Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though three out of six members are originally from The Shoals region of Northern Alabama, and the band strongly identifies with Alabama. Their music uses three guitars as well as bass, drums, and now...

 lead guitarist, Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Greenhill, Alabama, near Muscle Shoals.-Background:Almost all of Isbell's family, except his parents, were musicians, and his father was an avid music listener...

. The album was released on July 10, 2007.

After leaving Drive-By Truckers

Drive-By Truckers

Drive-By Truckers are an alternative country/Southern rock band based in Athens, Georgia, though three out of six members are originally from The Shoals region of Northern Alabama, and the band strongly identifies with Alabama. Their music uses three guitars as well as bass, drums, and now...

 amicably in 2007, Isbell released Sirens of the Ditch on New West Records

New West Records

New West Records is a record label based in Los Angeles, California, Austin, Texas, and Athens, Georgia. It was established in 1998, and has been home to several indie rock and alternative country bands as well as representing the PBS show Austin City Limits...

. Sirens of the Ditch was recorded at FAME Studios

FAME Studios

FAME Studios are located at 603 East Avalon in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. They have been an integral part of American popular music from the late 1950s to the present...

, where among the musicians helping to record the album was Spooner Oldham

Spooner Oldham

Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and at FAME Studios on such hit R&B songs as "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge, "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett and "I Never Loved a Man" by Aretha...

, famous for his work with Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

 and Neil Young

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...

. According to Washington Post writer Catherine Lewis, Sirens of the Ditch has "a more bluesy pop sound" than Isbell's work with Drive-By Truckers. The first single from the album, "Brand New Kind of Actress," deals with the death of Lana Clarkson

Lana Clarkson

Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. She played roles in science fiction and fantasy movies. She was murdered by songwriter and producer Phil Spector, who was convicted of the crime on April 13, 2009.-Early life:Born in Long...

 in Phil Spector

Phil Spector

Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....

's mansion. Another single, "Dress Blues," concerns the death of Corporal Matthew Conley, a US Marine from Isbell's hometown who was killed in the Iraq War. "Down in a Hole" tells a tale of an eccentric character from Jason's locale.

Track listing

1. "Brand New Kind of Actress" – 5:35
2. "Down in A Hole" – 4:22
3. "Try" – 4:52
4. "Chicago Promenade" – 3:23
5. "Good News" – 3:13
6. "Dress Blues" – 4:11
7. "Grown" – 3:46
8. "Hurricanes and Hand Grenades" – 5:11
9. "In A Razor Town" – 3:19
10. "Shotgun Wedding" – 3:49
11. "The Magician" – 4:20
12. "The Devil is My Running Mate" – 3:45