Titled Something More Than Free, this will be Isbell's fifth solo album, following his award-winning 2013 collection Southeastern. "Everything was played initially with multiple musicians, pretty much the whole band, right off the bat," Isbell explained to Radio.com about the recording process on Something More Than Free. "It's good to have that conversation, because you can really capture some inspired moments."

There isn't a 'theme' per se on the album, but as Isbell said that through his songwriting he is still "trying to explain relationships between people, and relationships with an individual and his or her past, and the sort of things you trade in to be happy the older you get--I think that's a big concern on this record.