Clothes: Dress Blues

Jason Isbell - Dress Blues

[purchase]

Okay, I guess I lied yesterday when I said the Nelly tripe would be my last post on the clothes theme. I really did intend to be done yesterday but then last night this song came across the iPod while I was out for a road ride and it was an "I should've had a V8 moment" and I knew it had to be posted.

"Dress Blues" is about Jason's high school friend, Matthew Conley. Matthew joined the Marines out of high school and ended up being deployed to Iraq. He is survived by his wife Nicole and a daughter he never saw, Catherine.

This isn't a political song. You're pro-war or you're anti-war. This is a song about the human impact of the war. You can read more about Matthew's story here if you want. While the studio version of the song is moving enough, personally I think this live performance really drives the song home: