Too much information? Jason Isbell believes opening your life to fans builds a stronger bond

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — If Jason Isbell is keeping many more secrets, it’s hard to imagine what they might be. The singer-songwriter and his wife, Amanda Shires, share the details of their life to an extraordinary degree. This, he believes, helps create a stronger bond with fans, and honesty promotes better art. Through his music, interviews and a film that came out this spring, Isbell has detailed a troubled patch in his marriage and the story of how he almost destroyed his career by drinking before he redeemed himself with recovery. Isbell is one of the strongest rock songwriters around, a status he cements with an upcoming disc.