What do Jason Isbell and Liam Neeson have in common? Well, until recently, very little before they both started working on The Ice Road for Netflix. Available now on the streaming platform, Neeson stars as a big-rig ice road trucker thrust into a heroic rescue mission while Isbell provides the lead song to the 12-track, star-studded soundtrack. Jason Isbell’s rendition of the Johnny Cash trucker anthem “All I Do Is Drive”, along with the rest of The Ice Road soundtrack, is available now.
Originally released on J.C.’s 1974 album Ragged Old Flag, “All I Do Is Drive” isn’t the most well-known hit by The Man In Black, but it still encapsulates his empathy for the plight of the working man. For his part, Isbell resurrects the classic Johnny Cash rockabilly rhythm famously delivered by The Tennessee Three that keeps a vintage esthetic intact. Though the song confronts the loneliness of truckers—and challenges the often romanticized perception of their work—it still comes through a whole lot happier than much of Isbell’s catalog.
Alongside Jason Isbell, The Ice Road soundtrack hosts a bevy of fellow country stars including Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, and Luke Combs. The soundtrack has a wild side too with L.A. Rats—a group featuring Rob Zombie, Nikki Sixx, and John 5—delivering a metal-infused take on Hank Snow‘s “I’ve Been Everywhere”, which Johnny Cash famously covered in 1996. The soundtrack also features John Carter Cash, the only child of Johnny and wife June Carter Cash, who joins The Assassinzs on “Heart Made Of Steel”.
Listen to Jason Isbell take on Johnny Cash’s “All I Do Is Drive” for the Netflix film The Ice Road. The film’s full soundtrack is available now across streaming platforms.
Jason Isbell – “All I Do Is Drive” (Johnny Cash)
[Video: Jason Isbell]
Various Artists – The Ice Road