Dating back to 1971, The Isaacs was established as a family Gospel group led by family matriarch and Columbia Records folk singer Lily Isaacs, and her three children Ben Issacs, Sonya Issacs Yeary, and Becky Bowman. The multi-Grammy-nominated outfit examines our nation at a contentious moment through both a historic and contemporary musical lens on their new album project, The American Face. Released August 13, the Ben Isaacs and Bryan Sutton-produced record split 12 songs between classic hits and original content for a multi-dimensional portrait of a dynamic nation.
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They began work on the album in the summer of 2019. As a longstanding Gospel group, a typical collection from The Isaacs was Gospel-steeped with a few more secular-natured “life songs,” sprinkled throughout. But when they signed with a new agent, the group found themselves playing churches, PAC centers, and arenas alike. To help introduce themselves to a broader audience, they decided to record some familiar classics to help them connect more quickly. The four members, who all share lead, were asked to bring their favorite cover songs to the table.
“We all have our favorite classic songs, because when you’re in music—even though we are a family—we all like different genres,” Becky tells American Songwriter in a recent interview. “When it came time to do this, we were just singing the songs that we loved, kind of like when we’re all singing in the living room and finding out what fits. We brainstorm as a family, and a portion of what we brainstorm usually sticks.”
For Becky, that was Shania Twain’s “Forever and For Always.” For their mother, Lily—a folk-rock legacy—it had to be The Beatles (“We Can Work It Out”) and The Byrds (“Turn Turn Turn”). Sonya loved Extreme’s version of “More Than Words” since she was a child. “I grew up listening to that duet version of it and loved how intricate those harmonies were in this one, and what a cool song it was,” she says. Sonya brought that to the group, and The Isaacs recorded it with the two-part harmony introduction, reflecting the original work. Sonya adds, “At the end, we went full ‘Isaacs’ on ’em, and added a third part for the back half of the song.”
Though the album was delayed, the release timing lined up with the 30th anniversary of the 1991 hit. This was one example of the serendipitous alignment exhibited throughout the album. At a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, reimagined interpretations of these classics took on new meaning in this more contemporary context. “Turn Turn Turn” addresses the trying times head-on with the line: A time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing. Dipping further into the polarization, “We Can Work It Out,” reminds listeners of rocky social landscapes from previous decades that we overcame.
The six originals from the LP were built and selected around the existing premise of the covered classics. As far as the originals, the only criteria were that these secular songs must not compromise the messaging of The Isaacs, and what they would typically deliver in an album.
“We wrote songs about life and love and the lack thereof, and the rebounding and the healing,” says Becky. “Our thing was we can still sing songs that have great positive messages, even if they don’t necessarily say ‘Jesus.’ So we were just trying to fill in the holes of things that we lacked style-wise.”
One of these was “Just Words,” which she co-wrote with Sonya and Connie Harrington. Lyrically, it emphasizes the strength of words. “Words are often more powerful than ‘sticks and stones,’ sometimes people never recover from that is thrown,” Becky says. She feels the messaging is powerful for the current era where people can hide behind social media as they hurl harmful criticism and insults at individuals.
The title track, “The American Face,” reflects the congruency The Isaacs aimed for in this project. Penned in 2014 by Sonya, her husband Jimmy Yeary (Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney), and acclaimed songwriter Tom Douglas (Miranda Lambert, Lady A), the track expands upon the United States motto, “E Pluribus Unum.” Adopted in 1776 by the 13 colonies, the phrase means “Out of many, one.” The three writers started their session with that motto in mind, thinking about the beautiful things that make up our nation, and how dynamic the American Face can be.
“What it means to me is that when we come together, we’re stronger and better. We’re one made out of many different parts,” says Sonya. “It came from discussing how different we all are. But how beautiful it is that we can all coexist. And that’s what the American Dream is; what our family was built on.”
Their mother was born to Polish Holocaust survivors who emigrated to the United States when she was only two years old. All three of them became citizens at Ellis Island. Sonya, Becky, and their brother, Ben are all first-generation American citizens. “We all are living the American dream, and we appreciate America,” Sonya adds.
“Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, we’ve seen our country divided over just about any topic you can pick out of the pot. Everyone wants to fight over elections, and vaccines, COVID, and how to handle masks. There’s been so much to divide us that we need to be reminded that this is America, which gives us the freedom and the opportunity to decide for ourselves how we want to live—where we want to go to church, what job we want. There are some things that we all have to come together on in agreement, like it or not. But we are free, and this country is beautiful for that reason. We just wanted to say, ‘Look, everybody, let’s just celebrate America, let’s just put our differences aside because we’re blessed to be able to agree to disagree.'”
The Isaacs have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to bless Israel, specifically Holocaust Survivors, Israeli Defense “Lone” Soldiers, and orphans through their non-profit organization, The Isaacs Foundation via The Fishman Isaacs Israel Initiative (FIII), since 2018. They also guide hundreds of guests each year on a pilgrimage to Israel and explore the Holy Land through a unique and exclusive lens. “Our goal is to bring the message of hope to all seeking the love of our God,” says the family. “We also know that spreading our style of music to new audiences can create a new venue for both the consumer and for us,” they conclude.
Through The Isaacs Foundation, the group will donate a portion of proceeds from The American Face to The Bridge Ministry, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Nashville, which exists to alleviate the suffering of underprivileged children, the homeless, and the working poor by providing life-sustaining resources and a message of hope.
Listen to The Isaacs’ new album, The American Face, here. Tour information is available on their website.
Photo Credit: Frederick Breedon
