There’s something nearly sinister about crossing into Mississippi on the highway from states without. The brush changes. The sky changes. The pavement changes to blood red, the color of the state’s horrible, lovable soul. You’re in Mississippi now, full stop.
Jason Isbell ain’t from Mississippi, but he might as well should be. He hates the south and loves the south. That’s why his songwriting is so compelling. Like Faulkner.
Isbell’s “Alabama Pines” has little to do with Mississippi on its surface, but it applies to every Bible Belt state. Georgia? Sure. Florida? Why not.