Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, The War And Treaty cover prison songs for criminal justice reform charity album

Better Than Jail is a powerful new album that benefits criminal justice reform

Better Than Jail, an extraordinary new benefit album, brings together top country, blues, and American artists to raise awareness and support for the urgent need to reduce the harm of the criminal justice system.

Featuring covers of iconic prison songs, the album pays homage to a rich musical legacy, while advocating for meaningful change – we can, and must, do better. Proceeds from the sale of Better Than Jail support two organizations doing on-the-ground work to make things better: Equal Justice USA and Free Hearts.

The artists lending their voices to the project include Cedric Burnside, Hayes Carll & Allison Moorer, Bonnie Raitt, Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires, Lukas Nelson, Margo Price, Old Crow Medicine Show, Raul Malo, Silverada, Steve Earle, Taj Mahal, and The War and Treaty. Better Than Jail is released digitally via Wyatt Road Records and distributed by Firebird Label Services.

Country music legends like Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard have long championed the humanity and plight of incarcerated people, and now a new generation of artists is picking up that mantle. Together, these artists, who have lent their time, talent, and platforms to this important cause, shine a light on the need for comprehensive criminal justice reform through iconic and storied songs. In addition to seminal covers, Better Than Jail also features an original song, “Color of a Cloudy Day,” written and performed by Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. The track, originally written for the 2015 documentary film The Fear of 13, will be widely available for the first time with the release of Better Than Jail.

One of the key issues this album seeks to address is the unjust system of bail, which keeps people behind bars simply because they cannot afford to pay for their release. This system cuts them off from their loved ones and significantly hampers their ability to find work once they are released. The result is an endless cycle of recidivism, which neither protects our communities nor uses taxpayer dollars effectively.

By supporting Equal Justice USA and Free Hearts, Better Than Jail aims to invest in community-based services that decrease the use of jails and keep incarcerated individuals connected to their families. Better Than Jail also advocates for providing more meaningful reentry resources to help formerly incarcerated people find jobs and housing, reducing barriers to successful reintegration into society.

Better Than Jail is produced by Brian Hunt and his Believe Entertainment Group, an Oscar and Emmy-winning New York City-based studio; Kenny Greenberg, a Grammy-winning producer and award-winning guitarist; and Wally Wilson, a Grammy-nominated songwriter, music publisher, and record producer who has worked with Joan Baez, Gregg Allman, Steve Earle, and other top artists. Kevin Keenan of GROW Strategies provided strategy and fundraising support.

The Better Than Jail album cover art was commissioned from Omari Booker, whose songbird emerging from guitar-string bars draws on his real-life relationship to birds while in prison and evokes for him the hope and humanity that art and music provided during his time inside.

  1. The War and Treaty – “County Jail Blues” (Originally by Big Marco)
  2. Steve Earle – “I Fought the Law” (Originally by The Crickets)
  3. Bonnie Raitt – “ Prison Bound Blues” (Originally by Leroy Carr)
  4. Old Crow Medicine Show – “In the Jailhouse Now” (Originally by Jimmie Rodgers)
  5. Hayes Carll & Allison Morer – “Sing Me Back Home” (Originally by Merle Haggard)
  6. Margo Price – “Hurricane” (Originally by Bob Dylan)
  7. Raul Malo – “Stripes” (Originally by Johnny Cash)
  8. Lukas Nelson – “I Shall Be Released” (Originally by Bob Dylan)
  9. Silverada – “I Made the Prison Band” (Originally by Merle Haggard)
  10. Taj Mahal – “Midnight Special” (Originally by Led Belly)
  11. Jason Isbell & Amanda Shires – “The Color of the Cloudy Day”
  12. Cedric Burnside – “Parchman Farm Blues” (Originally by Bukka White)

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn