Steve Earle | ||
| Allmusic Biography : In the strictest sense, Steve Earle isnt a country artist; hes a roots rocker. Earle emerged in the mid-80s, after Bruce Springsteen had popularized populist rock & roll and Dwight Yoakam had kick-started the neo-traditionalist movement in country music. At first, Earle appeared to be more indebted to the rock side than the country, playing a stripped-down, neo-rockabilly style that occasionally verged on outlaw country. However, his unwillingness to conform to the rules of Nashville or rock & roll meant that he never broke through into either genres mainstream. Instead, he cultivated a dedicated cult following, drawing from both the country and rock audiences: the former with his 1986 debut Guitar Town and the latter with 1988s commercial breakthrough Copperhead Road. Toward the early 90s, his career was thrown off track by personal problems and substance abuse, but he re-emerged stronger and healthier several years later, producing two of his most critically acclaimed albums, 1995s Train a Comin and 1996s I Feel Alright. Earle celebrated his love for bluegrass on 1999s The Mountain (cut with the Del McCoury Band), while his progressive political views dominated his work from 2002s Jerusalem through 2007s Washington Square Serenade. He embraced personal themes on 2011s Ill Never Get Out of This World Alive, but then made a full-bodied return to country sounds with 2017s So You Wannabe an Outlaw. Born in Fort Monroe, Virginia, but raised near San Antonio, Texas, Earle received his first guitar at the age of 11 and, by the time he was 13, had become proficient enough to win a school-sponsored talent contest. Despite his talent for music, he proved to be a wild child, often getting in trouble with local authorities. Furthermore, his rebellious, long-haired appearance and anti-Vietnam War stance was scorned by local country fans. After completing the eighth grade, Earle dropped out of school and, at the age of 16, left home with his uncle Nick Fain to travel across the state. Eventually, he settled in Houston at the age of 18, where he married his first wife, Sandie, and began working odd jobs. While in Houston, he met singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt, who would become Earles foremost role model and inspiration. A year later, Earle moved to Nashville. Earle worked blue-collar jobs during the day in Nashville; at night, he wrote songs and played bass in Guy Clarks backing band, appearing on a cut on Clarks 1975 album Old No. 1. He stayed in Nashville for several years, making connections within the industry and eventually landing a job as a staff writer for the publisher Sunbury Dunbar. He eventually grew tired of the city, however, and returned to Texas, where he assembled a backing band called the Dukes and began playing local clubs. A year later, he returned to Nashville, where he married his second wife, Cynthia. The marriage was short-lived and he quickly married Carol, who gave birth to Earles first child, a son named Justin Townes Earle. Carol helped straighten Earle out, at least temporarily; for a while, he cut back on substances and concentrated on music. Publishers Roy Dea and Pat Clark signed Earle as a songwriter in the early 80s. Dea and Clark brought "When You Fall in Love" to Johnny Lee, who took the song to number 14 on the country charts in 1982. Additionally, Carl Perkins cut a version of Steve Earles own "Mustang Wine," and Zella Lehr recorded two of his songs as well. With his reputation as a songwriter growing, Earle expressed a desire to become a recording artist in his own right. Dea and Clark had recently formed an independent record label called LSI, and the pair signed Earle to their roster. Earles first release was an EP, Pink & Black, issued in 1982. The record featured a formative version of the Dukes and found a warm reception among critics, one of whom -- John Lomax -- sent the EP to Epic Records. Impressed with the songs, Epic signed Earle in 1983; meanwhile, Lomax became his manager. After releasing the Pink & Black track "Nothin But You" as a single, however, Epic sat on the song and refused to promote the record. They concentrated on their new signing instead, and relations between Earle and his label began to sour. Earle then entered the studio and cut an album of neo-rockabilly songs that the label was reluctant to send to radio. They refused to release the record, suggesting instead that Earle reenter the studio with a new, more commercially oriented producer, Emory Gordy, Jr. The pair cut four more songs that were released as two singles, but the records failed. With his recording career quickly going nowhere, Earle lost his publishing contract with Dea and Carter. He moved over to Silverline Goldline, where he met Tony Brown, a producer at MCA Records. When Epic dropped Earle from their roster in 1984, Brown persuaded MCA to sign Earle instead, and the songwriter further severed connections to his Epic days by firing Lomax as his manager. He issued his debut album, Guitar Town, in 1986. Although Earle was grouped into the new traditionalist movement begun by Dwight Yoakam and Randy Travis, he also gained the attention of rock critics and fans who saw similarities between Earles populist sentiments and the heartland rock of Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. Guitar Town became a hit, with its title track becoming a Top Ten single in the summer of 1986 and "Goodbyes All Weve Got Left" reaching the Top Ten in early 1987. Following the albums success, Epic quickly assembled a compilation of previously unreleased Earle tracks; the collection was titled Early Tracks and released in early 1987. Later that year, the songwriter released his second album, Exit 0, which bore a shared credit for his backing band the Dukes. Exit 0 signaled a more rock-oriented direction and, like its predecessor, received critical acclaim, even if it didnt sell as well as Earles debut. Though his career was taking off, Earles personal life was becoming a wreck. He had divorced his third wife, married a fourth named Lou, whom he quickly divorced, and then married an MCA employee named Teresa Ensenat. He was also delving deeper and deeper into drug and alcohol abuse. With his third album, 1988s Copperhead Road, Earles rock & roll flirtations came to the forefront and country radio responded in kind, as none of the albums songs charted or received much airplay. However, rock radio embraced him, sending the albums title track into the album rock Top Ten, which helped make the album his highest charting effort to date. Not only had Copperhead Road been accepted by AOR, but it established him as a star in Europe, as it included a duet with Irish punk-folk group the Pogues that signaled his affection for the area. In the late 80s, Earle frequently toured England and Europe and even produced the alternative rock band the Bible. Earles acceptance by the rock community didnt please the country establishment in Nashville. Although it briefly seemed as if Earle wouldnt need Nashvilles help anyway, his newfound success quickly began to collapse. Uni, a division of MCA Records, had released Copperhead Road; just before the album went gold, the tiny Uni went bankrupt, taking Copperhead Road along with it. Meanwhile, Earles addictions and fondness for breaking rules began spinning out of control. On New Years Eve, he was arrested in Dallas for assaulting a security guard at his own concert. He was charged with aggravated assault, fined 500 dollars, and given a years unsupervised probation. Sandie, his first wife, sued for more alimony, and he was served with a paternity suit by a woman in Tennessee. The title of his 1990 album, The Hard Way, reflected such problems, as did the records tough, dark sound. Though the release was critically acclaimed and spawned a minor AOR hit with "The Other Kind," it received no support from the country market and quickly fell off the charts. The commercial failure of The Hard Way was just the beginning of a round of serious setbacks for Earle. Later in 1990, he recorded an album of material that MCA refused to release. Instead, the label decided to issue the live album Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator in 1991. They terminated Earles record contract shortly thereafter, and Earle delved deep into cocaine and heroin addiction in the following years. He had several run-ins with the law, including a 1994 arrest in Nashville for possession of heroin. Although sentenced to a year in jail, Earle served time in rehab instead, and the treatment worked. Earle was released from the rehab center in late 1994 and began working again. In 1995, he signed to Winter Harvest and released the acoustic Train A Comin, his first studio album in five years. Train A Comin received terrific reviews and strong sales, despite Earles claim that the label botched the albums song sequence. The attention led to a new record contract with Warner Bros., who released I Feel Alright in early 1996 and El Corazon in 1997; both garnered strong reviews and respectable sales. Earle had returned from the brink and reestablished himself as a vital artist. In the process, he won back the country audience he had abandoned in the late 80s. The Mountain, a bluegrass record cut with the Del McCoury Band, followed in 1999, and a year later Earle returned with Transcendental Blues, produced by T-Bone Burnett. While Earle had long displayed a strong political streak (particularly in his opposition to the death penalty), his leftist views took center stage on his 2002 album, Jerusalem. Written and recorded in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Jerusalem dealt openly with Earles divided feelings about Americas "war on terror" and the Wests ignorance of the Islamic faith, and included a song about John Walker Lindh, a young American who was discovered to be fighting with Taliban forces, called "John Walkers Blues." Earles refusal to condemn Lindh in his lyrics quickly made the song (and the album) a political hot potato, but Earle embraced the controversy and became a frequent guest on news and editorial broadcasts, defending his work and clarifying his views on terrorism, patriotism, and the role of popular artists in a time of crisis. Earles tour in support of Jerusalem was documented in the 2003 concert film and live album Just an American Boy, and in the summer of 2004, as the American occupation of Iraq dragged on and an upcoming presidential election loomed in the minds of many, Earle released The Revolution Starts...Now, an album of songs informed by the war in Iraq and the abuses of the George W. Bush administration. Live at Montreux, recorded at a 2005 show, was released in 2006, followed by Washington Square Serenade (his first release for New West Records) in 2007. He also wrote two songs -- "God Is God" and "I Am a Wanderer" -- for Joan Baezs 2008 album, The Day After Tomorrow, and produced the sessions. Earle remained with New West for his follow-up release, an album of Townes Van Zandt covers entitled Townes, which was issued in 2009 and won a Grammy for Best Folk Recording. Earle spent most of the years remainder and all of 2010 writing and recording new songs while playing the role of the musician Harley in HBOs acclaimed television series Treme. A song he wrote for the series, "This City," was nominated for both Grammy and Emmy awards. In early 2011, Earle emerged with his first new recording of original material since 2007, Ill Never Get Out of This World Alive, which found the songwriter re-teaming with producer T-Bone Burnett and New West. In the spring of 2013, Earle re-teamed with longtime collaborator and co-producer Ray Kennedy and his road band called the Dukes (And Duchesses) to release The Low Highway. He also inked a two-book publishing deal with Twelve. The first will be a memoir, while the second will be a novel. As he worked on his literary efforts, Earle didnt neglect his musical career; he and his latest edition of the Dukes cut a blues-based album, Terraplane, which was released by New West in February 2015. In 2016, Earle teamed up with fellow singer and songwriter Shawn Colvin for a collaborative album. Colvin & Earle featured the friends and colleagues sharing vocals on a few new originals and a handful of covers. In 2017, Earle returned to the major labels with the release of So You Wannabe an Outlaw, which also found him returning to the rough-hewn mix of rock and country that marked his best-known work. The album, released by Warner Bros., included guest appearances from Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, and Johnny Bush. Earles association with Warner Bros. proved to be short lived, and he rejoined the New West roster for 2019s Guy. In the tradition of Townes, Guy found Earle covering 16 songs from the pen of mentor and Texas songwriting legend Guy Clark; Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, and Terry Allen lent their vocal talents to the recordings. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 37 Title: Guitar Town Released: 1986-03-05 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Goodbye’s All We Got Left to Say (03:24) 3 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 4 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 5 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 6 Someday (03:48) 7 Think It Over (02:16) 8 Fearless Heart (04:07) 9 Little Rock ’n’ Roller (04:52) 10 Down the Road (02:38) 11 Good Ol Boy (Gettin Tough) (live) (04:10) |
| Guitar Town : Allmusic album Review : On Steve Earles first major American tour following the release of his debut album, Guitar Town, Earle found himself sharing a bill with Dwight Yoakam one night and the Replacements another, and one listen to the album explains why -- while the music was country through and through, Earle showed off enough swagger and attitude to intimidate anyone short of Keith Richards. While Earles songs bore a certain resemblance to the Texas outlaw ethos (think Waylon Jennings in "Lonesome, Onry and Mean" mode), they displayed a literate anger and street-smart snarl that set him apart from the typical Music Row hack, and no one in Nashville in 1986 was able (or willing) to write anything like the title song, a hilarious and harrowing tale of life on the road ("Well, I gotta keep rockin while I still can/Got a two-pack habit and motel tan") or the bitterly unsentimental account of small-town life "Someday" ("You go to school, where you learn to read and write/So you can walk into the county bank and sign away your life"), the latter of which may be the best Bruce Springsteen song the Boss didnt write. And even when Earle gets a bit teary-eyed on "My Old Friend the Blues" and "Little Rock n Roller," he showed off a battle-scarred heart that was tougher and harder-edged than most of his competition. Guitar Town is slightly flawed by an overly tidy production from Emory Gordy, Jr., and Tony Brown as well as a band that never hit quite as hard as Earles voice, and he would make many stronger and more ambitious records in the future, but Guitar Town was his first shot at showing a major audience what he could do, and he hit a bulls-eye -- its perhaps the strongest and most confident debut album any country act released in the 1980s. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 37 Title: Early Tracks Released: 1987 Tracks: 10 Duration: 25:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Nothin but You (02:28) 2 If You Need a Fool (02:15) 3 Continental Trailways Blues (02:22) 4 Open Up Your Door (02:11) 5 Breakdown Lane (03:04) 6 Squeeze Me In (02:38) 7 Annie, Is Tonight the Night (02:35) 8 My Baby Worships Me (02:12) 9 Cadillac (02:45) 10 Devils Right Hand (03:03) |
| Early Tracks : Allmusic album Review : In the wake of Guitar Towns success, Epic rushed out this collection of early Steve Earle tracks recorded from 1982 to 1985, including songs from 1982s Pink & Black EP. While much of this is by-the-book rockabilly fare, it provides a good look at his formative years. The CD reissue on Koch adds four tracks from Epic singles, including covers of tunes by John Hiatt and Dennis Linde. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 37 Title: Copperhead Road Released: 1988-10-17 Tracks: 10 Duration: 43:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Copperhead Road (04:30) 2 Snake Oil (03:30) 3 Back to the Wall (05:28) 4 Devils Right Hand (03:03) 5 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 6 Even When I’m Blue (04:14) 7 You Belong to Me (04:24) 8 Waiting on You (05:10) 9 Once You Love (04:40) 10 Nothing but a Child (04:23) |
| Copperhead Road : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle and Nashville had had just about enough of one another once it came time for him to cut his third album in 1988. Earles first two albums, Guitar Town and Exit 0, had sold well and earned enthusiastic reviews, but his stubborn refusal to make nice, his desire to make more rock-influenced albums, and the faint but clear Leftism in his populist lyrical stance made him no friends at MCAs Nashville offices, and his growing dependence on heroin didnt help matters one bit. Earle was moved to MCAs Los Angeles-based Uni imprint, and he headed to Memphis to cut his third album, Copperhead Road. The result improbably became one of Earles strongest albums; between its big drum sound, arena-sized guitars, and a swagger that owed more to the Rolling Stones and Guns N Roses than countrys New Traditionalists, Copperhead Road was the unabashed rock & roll album Earle had long threatened to make, but his attitude and personality were strong enough to handle the oversized production, and the songs showed that for all the aural firepower, this was still the same down-home troublemaker from Earles first two albums. The moonshiners tale of the title cut, the gunfighters saga of "The Devils Right Hand," and the story of two generations of soldiers in "Johnny Come Lately" (with the Pogues sitting in as Earles backing band) were all tough but compelling narratives rooted in country tradition, and their rock moves updated them without robbing them of their power. And if the songs about love that dominate the albums second half dont have the same immediate impact, "Even When Im Blue," "You Belong to Me," and "Once You Love" are honest and absorbing reflections of the heart of this dysfunctional romantic. Copperhead Roads production, which occasionally borders on hair metal territory, dates it, but the fire of Earles performances and the strength of the songs more than compensates, and this album still connects 20 years on: if he had been able to hold himself together and make a few more records this strong, its hard to imagine how big a star he could have become. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 37 Title: Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator Released: 1991-09-17 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:16:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:53) 2 Good Ol Boy (Gettin Tough) (04:23) 3 Devils Right Hand (03:06) 4 I Aint Ever Satisfied (04:07) 5 Someday (03:54) 6 West Nashville Boogie (07:25) 7 Snake Oil (03:02) 8 Blue Yodel #9 (01:36) 9 The Other Kind (05:35) 10 Billy Austin (07:08) 11 Copperhead Road (04:34) 12 Fearless Heart (04:36) 13 Guitar Town (03:36) 14 I Love You Too Much (05:37) 15 Shes About a Mover (04:14) 16 The Rain Came Down (04:50) 17 Dead Flowers (08:15) |
| Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator : Allmusic album Review : After Steve Earles 1990 album The Hard Way stumbled in the marketplace and his drug addiction became a poorly kept secret in Nashville, he was on the outs with his record label, MCA, who decided to let him out of his contract in the time-honored fashion, with a live album. Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator was recorded in October 1990 during a pair of shows in Ontario, Canada, where Earle had become an arena-level star, and features him and his band rolling through a set of his biggest hits. While Earles voice was starting to show signs of strain on The Hard Way, here it ranges between sandy and ragged, and there are moments on this album where he sounds like hes running on fumes (most notably "Guitar Town" and "The Other Kind"). At the same time, there are other numbers where hes sharp and committed; he wrenches every ounce of drama he can from "Billy Austin," his short but pointed cover of Jimmie Rodgers "Blue Yodel #9" is great, and the long, ominous creepy crawl through "West Nashville Boogie" easily trumps the version on The Hard Way. Earles band is solid and picks up the slack when he gets winded, especially guitarist Zip Gibson and Bucky Baxter on steel and six-string, but while his audience is behind him all the way, Earle himself isnt at his best here. It wasnt until four years after Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator was released that Steve Earles "vacation in the ghetto" ended and he came back with a vengeance on Train a Comin, and Earle started living up to the potential that the best moments of this album proved he still had in reserve. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 37 Title: BBC Radio 1: Live in Concert Released: 1992 Tracks: 13 Duration: 58:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Copperhead Road (04:55) 2 San Antonio Girl (02:54) 3 Even When Im Blue (04:23) 4 My Old Friend the Blues (03:29) 5 Someday (03:53) 6 The Devils Right Hand (03:33) 7 Down the Road (03:12) 8 Snake Oil (08:04) 9 Johnny Come Lately (03:59) 10 When Will We Be Married (04:24) 11 Little Rock n Roller (05:28) 12 Dead Flowers (06:15) 13 My Baby Worships Me (04:09) |
| BBC Radio 1: Live in Concert : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle & the Dukes were touring the U.K. in support of the album Copperhead Road in November 1988 when they played a show at the Town and Country Club in London, and BBC Radio 1 assigned a recording crew to put the concert on tape for later broadcast. BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert captures 13 songs from Earles set, which finds him and his band in tough, arena-ready form. The recording captures more of the ambience of the room than anyone needs, and Earles vocals are a bit low in the mix, occasionally getting lost in the echo, but he was clearly having a good night (as were the Dukes), and the fire of his performance is communicated on disc. Most of the highlights of the set come from Copperhead Road (the title tune makes for an impressive opening salvo), but he also dips into his back catalog for some favorites from his first two albums (as well as a cover of "a perfectly good British hillbilly song," "Dead Flowers"), and sings with muscle and confidence on each track. The recording captures the ebb and flow of an unaltered live show, unlike the later concert release Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator, and its fun to hear Earle try to deal with a drunk and talkative fan as he introduces "The Devils Right Hand." BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert isnt the best Steve Earle live release, but its better than most and captures him at the peak of his commercial success. (The same concert was later released on the album Live at the BBC with bonus tracks from a 1987 concert in Manchester.) | ||
 | Album: 6 of 37 Title: We Ain’t Ever Satisfied Released: 1992-07-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Someday (03:48) 3 Fearless Heart (04:07) 4 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 5 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 6 The Rain Came Down (04:08) 7 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:02) 8 Copperhead Road (04:30) 9 Devil’s Right Hand (03:03) 10 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 11 The Other Kind (05:09) 12 Billy Austin (06:15) |
 | Album: 7 of 37 Title: This Highways Mine Released: 1993 Tracks: 14 Duration: 59:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Aint Never Satisfied (03:59) 2 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 3 Copperhead Road (04:30) 4 Little Rock ’n’ Roller (04:52) 5 Back to the Wall (05:28) 6 Goodbye’s All We Got Left to Say (03:24) 7 Fearless Heart (04:07) 8 Its All Up to You (05:44) 9 Hopeless Romantics (02:43) 10 Once You Love (04:40) 11 Nothing but a Child (04:23) 12 Snake Oil (03:30) 13 Close Your Eyes (04:42) 14 This Highways Mine (Roadmaster) (03:52) |
 | Album: 8 of 37 Title: Essential Steve Earle Released: 1993-03-05 Tracks: 13 Duration: 46:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 3 Devils Right Hand (03:03) 4 Goodbye’s All We Got Left to Say (03:24) 5 Six Days on the Road (03:07) 6 Someday (03:48) 7 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 8 Copperhead Road (04:30) 9 The Rain Came Down (04:09) 10 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:03) 11 Nowhere Road (02:50) 12 The Week of Living Dangerously (04:27) 13 Continental Trailways Blues (03:10) |
| Essential Steve Earle : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle lives up to the title billing here. While some of Earles recent work (and live shows) have inclined to excess, this disc collects lean, mean, and vital material from Earles first three outings -- the country-rock masterpiece Guitar Town, the inward-looking Exit 0, and the angry lashing out of Copperhead Road. Essential is topped off by "Continental Trailways Blues," previously available only on a 1987 compilation. Thirteen tracks is a little skimpy; some rarities from the vaults would have been a nice touch. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 37 Title: Train a Comin’ Released: 1995-02-28 Tracks: 13 Duration: 40:02 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Mystery Train Part II (02:31) 2 Hometown Blues (02:42) 3 Sometimes She Forgets (03:01) 4 Mercenary Song (02:39) 5 Goodbye (04:57) 6 Tom Ames’ Prayer (03:02) 7 Im Nothin’ Without You (03:02) 8 Angel Is the Devil (02:12) 9 I’m Looking Through You (02:28) 10 Northern Winds (01:41) 11 Ben McCulloch (04:09) 12 Rivers of Babylon (03:03) 13 Tecumseh Valley (04:30) |
| Train a Comin’ : Allmusic album Review : To say Steve Earle had career problems in 1994 when he recorded Train a Comin is something more than an understatement. Earles life went into a dramatic tailspin thanks to a voracious drug habit after he parted ways with MCA in 1991, and he ended up spending a few months in jail on drug and weapons charges in 1993. Earle thankfully got treatment for his addictions while behind bars, and was clean and sober for the first time in many years when he scored a deal with a tiny independent label, Winter Harvest Records, and cut an acoustic album called Train a Comin. Considering how low Earle had sunk, it was a pleasant shock that Train a Comin was not only good, it was one of the strongest albums of his career to date. Dominated by songs hes written years before along with a few new tunes and some well-chosen covers, Train a Comin featured Earle with a small group of gifted acoustic pickers, including Norman Blake, Peter Rowan, and Roy Huskey, Jr., and the tone of these sessions is at once relaxed and committed, sounding like a back porch guitar pull with a seriously talented guy handling the lead vocals and calling out the tunes. Earles experiences with the judicial system hadnt exactly improved his voice, but hes in far more potent form than he had been on 1991s live set Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator, and his control and command of his instrument is genuinely impressive. Earles natural cockiness works in his favor on these tunes, especially "Tom Ames Prayer," "Hometown Blues," and "Angel Is the Devil," and his gift for telling a story is plainly evident on "Ben McCulloch" and a moving cover of Townes Van Zandts "Tecumseh Valley." Train a Comin is not an album that asks the audience to forgive Steve Earle for his sins; its a document of an artist who after a season in hell has reclaimed his gift and is determined to put it to use, and after years of fighting Nashville to do things his own way, Earle resumed his career by following his own muse with eloquent simplicity, and Train a Comin shows his instincts were entirely correct. [Winter Harvests original release of Train a Comin featured a sequence not approved by Earle, who reissued the album on his E Squared label with a different running order; some pressings of the E Square version also delete his cover of the Beatles "Im Looking Through You."] | ||
 | Album: 10 of 37 Title: I Feel Alright Released: 1996-03-05 Tracks: 12 Duration: 38:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Feel Alright (03:04) 2 Hard Core Troubadour (02:40) 3 More Than I Can Do (02:37) 4 Hurtin Me, Hurtin You (03:20) 5 Now Shes Gone (02:48) 6 Poor Boy (02:55) 7 Valentines Day (02:59) 8 The Unrepentant (04:30) 9 CCKMP (04:31) 10 Billy and Bonnie (03:38) 11 South Nashville Blues (02:28) 12 Youre Still Standin There (03:24) |
| I Feel Alright : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle quietly announced he was back in action and capable of making substantial, heartfelt music again with his 1994 acoustic album Train a Comin, but on 1995s I Feel Alright Earle showed he was truly back in fighting shape, and from the albums first moments he sounds ready to roar and holds nothing back. While Earles battle with drug abuse and his brief stay in prison arent explicitly addressed on this album (except on the harrowing "CCKMP," in which Earle confesses "cocaine cannot kill my pain" and "heroin is the only thing/the only gift the darkness brings"), the hurt brought to himself and others by his betrayals runs through many of these songs, sometimes with humor ("Hard Core Troubadour"), sometimes with regret ("Valentines Day"), and sometimes with a painful self-awareness ("Hurtin Me, Hurtin You" and "The Unrepentant"). But I Feel Alright isnt about addiction and loss so much as recovery and starting over again, and if the songs often concern Earles misdeeds, the strength of the music finds him confronting his demons without flinching and conjuring up some of the powerfully muscular rock and affecting country of his life. And like Train a Comin, I Feel Alright shows Earle finding the courage and confidence to make a record just the way he wants, and this may be Earles finest hour in the studio -- the production is tough, resonant, and a perfect match for the material, the players bring their A game without showboating, and Earles rough but passionate vocals are pure, honest, and direct on every cut. I Feel Alright affirmed that Steve Earles brush with oblivion had not only failed to silence him, but he was a more courageous artist when he came out the other side, and no one who has heard this record is likely to argue that point. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 37 Title: Ain’t Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection Released: 1996-07-30 Tracks: 28 Duration: 1:54:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 3 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 4 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 5 Fearless Heart (04:07) 6 Think It Over (02:16) 7 Someday (03:48) 8 Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left (03:23) 9 State Trooper (live) (05:12) 10 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:02) 11 Nowhere Road (02:50) 12 The Rain Came Down (04:08) 13 I Love You Too Much (03:40) 14 The Week of Living Dangerously (04:27) 15 Continental Trailways Blues (03:10) 16 Six Days on the Road (03:07) 1 Copperhead Road (04:30) 2 Snake Oil (03:30) 3 Even When I’m Blue (04:14) 4 Devil’s Right Hand (03:03) 5 Nothing but a Child (04:23) 6 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 7 Dead Flowers (05:36) 8 The Other Kind (05:09) 9 When the People Find Out (04:13) 10 Billy Austin (06:15) 11 She’s About a Mover (live) (04:10) 12 West Nashville Boogie (live) (07:39) |
 | Album: 12 of 37 Title: El corazón Released: 1997 Tracks: 12 Duration: 45:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Christmas in Washington (04:59) 2 Taneytown (05:13) 3 If You Fall (04:10) 4 I Still Carry You Around (02:45) 5 Telephone Road (03:42) 6 Somewhere Out There (03:46) 7 You Know the Rest (02:12) 8 N.Y.C. (03:37) 9 Poison Lovers (03:47) 10 The Other Side of Town (04:17) 11 Here I Am (02:38) 12 Ft. Worth Blues (04:03) |
 | Album: 13 of 37 Title: Steve Earle & The Supersuckers Released: 1997-06-10 Tracks: 5 Duration: 13:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Creepy Jackalope Eye (03:05) 2 Angel Is the Devil (01:48) 3 Before They Make Me Run (03:50) 4 Creepy Jackalope Eye (02:19) 5 Angel Is the Devil (02:12) |
 | Album: 14 of 37 Title: The Very Best of Steve Earle: Angry Young Man Released: 1999 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:03:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Copperhead Road (04:30) 2 Devils Right Hand (03:03) 3 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 4 Waiting on You (05:10) 5 Angry Young Man (04:28) 6 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:03) 7 Its All Up to You (05:44) 8 No. 29 (03:34) 9 Nowhere Road (02:50) 10 San Antonio Girl (03:09) 11 The Rain Came Down (04:09) 12 Fearless Heart (04:07) 13 Guitar Town (02:34) 14 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 15 Someday (03:48) 16 The Other Kind (05:10) |
 | Album: 15 of 37 Title: The Mountain Released: 1999-02-23 Tracks: 14 Duration: 47:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Texas Eagle (03:28) 2 Yours Forever Blue (02:30) 3 Carrie Brown (04:18) 4 Im Still in Love With You (04:04) 5 The Graveyard Shift (02:36) 6 Harlan Man (03:20) 7 The Mountain (04:43) 1 Texas Eagle (03:28) 2 Connemara Breakdown (02:17) 3 Leroys Dustbowl Blues (03:04) 4 Dixieland (02:56) 5 Paddy on the Beat (02:00) 6 Long, Lonesome Highway Blues (02:58) 7 Pilgrim (05:27) |
| The Mountain : Allmusic album Review : On The Mountain, Steve Earle has teamed up with one of the very finest bluegrass ensembles around, the Del McCoury Band. All 14 of the songs here were written by Earle, who confesses in the liner notes that his dream is to create a timeless bluegrass classic that will live on like Bill Monroes "Uncle Pen." Well, he might very well have attained his dream. Each of the songs on The Mountain holds its own particular charm, and there isnt a loser in the bunch. "Carrie Brown" could have come from the very pen of "the father of bluegrass" himself, Monroe, and "Connemara Breakdown" has plenty enough fury to carve its own niche in the bluegrass tree. Outstanding performances from talented artists abound: there are the vocals of Emmylou Harris and Iris DeMent, the Dobro of Jerry Douglas and Gene Wooten, some smoking Sam Bush mandolin, and the fiddle fire of Stuart Duncan, all wrapped around these instant classics and played straight from the heart. Marty Stuart, Gillian Welch, and John Hartford all drop in to embellish the sound as well. Anyone who saw Earle perform with the McCoury Band was anxiously awaiting a CD, and with The Mountain, the wait is over. The smooth strains of "Pilgrim," with its unparalleled roster of guest artists, fills the room, and everything in the world seems just a little bit happier. Steve Earle has truly gone to the mountain and had his vision quest answered in the unmistakable tones of a Dobro, a banjo, and a guitar. Some good ol American music, right from the peak of the mountain. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 37 Title: Transcendental Blues Released: 2000-06-05 Tracks: 15 Duration: 49:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Transcendental Blues (04:13) 2 Everyones in Love With You (03:30) 3 Another Town (02:22) 4 I Can Wait (03:16) 5 The Boy Who Never Cried (03:46) 6 Steves Last Ramble (03:38) 7 The Galway Girl (03:05) 8 Lonelier Than This (03:11) 9 Wherever I Go (01:57) 10 When I Fall (04:34) 11 I Dont Want to Lose You Yet (03:22) 12 Halo Round the Moon (02:13) 13 Until the Day I Die (03:22) 14 All My Life (03:27) 15 Over Yonder (Jonathans Song) (03:51) |
| Transcendental Blues : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle is a rebel. Not in the Hollywood/James Dean/Easy Rider/rebel-against-society sense, but rather in a real and personal way. Throughout his life and career he has rebelled against the very industry that surrounded him and did not find the freedom he sought until he started his own label, E-Squared. He rebelled against his common sense and his health in search of true American artistry and did not find the freedom he sought until he hit the bottom of addiction, and he continues to rebel against mainstream American culture and politics with his attitudes and songs; Transcendental Blues is no exception. Transcendental Blues walks the line between Steve Earle the country-rock rebel who gave the world Copperhead Road and Guitar Town and Steve Earle the traditionalist who opened a new chapter in bluegrass with his last release, The Mountain. This album rocks with songs like "Everyones in Love with You" and "All My Life." It soothes with "The Boy Who Never Cried" and "Lonelier Than This," and it two-steps with new country like "The Galway Girl" and "Until the Day I Die." Fans of alternative country music sing the praises of artists like Charlie Robison, Jack Ingram, and Robert Earl Keen, Jr., but Earle proves again and again that he is the original alternative to the glossy side of Nashville. Earle cut the path that all his followers thankfully hike along, avoiding the weeds and branches that made him what he is today. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 37 Title: The Devils Right Hand - An Introduction to Steve Earle Released: 2000-07-02 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:15:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 2 Fearless Heart (04:07) 3 Little Rock ’n’ Roller (04:52) 4 Someday (03:48) 5 Little Sister (03:16) 6 Sweet Little 66 (02:39) 7 San Antonio Girl (03:08) 8 The Rain Came Down (04:08) 9 Devil’s Right Hand (03:03) 10 Even When I’m Blue (04:14) 11 You Belong to Me (04:24) 12 The Other Kind (05:32) 13 Hopeless Romantics (02:44) 14 Billy Austin (06:16) 15 Regular Guy (03:17) 16 Close Your Eyes (04:43) 17 Shes About a Mover (04:10) 18 Dead Flowers (08:16) |
 | Album: 18 of 37 Title: Together at the Bluebird Released: 2001-10-09 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:09:41 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Baby Took a Limo to Memphis (03:33) 2 My Old Friend the Blues (03:05) 3 Introduction to Katie Belle (01:46) 4 Katie Belle (03:15) 5 The Cape (03:31) 6 Introduction to Valentine’s Day (01:05) 7 Valentine’s Day (03:12) 8 Ain’t Leavin Your Love (02:57) 9 Randall Knife (04:48) 10 Tom Ames’ Prayer (03:24) 11 The Interfaith Dental Clinic (04:31) 12 A Song For (03:31) 13 Dublin Blues (04:31) 14 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:02) 15 Pancho and Lefty (05:24) 16 Immigrant Eyes (04:10) 17 Sirocco’s Pizza (01:44) 18 Mercenary Song (03:04) 19 Tecumseh Valley (04:38) 20 Copperhead Road (03:20) |
 | Album: 19 of 37 Title: Sidetracks Released: 2002-04-09 Tracks: 13 Duration: 48:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Some Dreams (03:04) 2 Open Your Window (03:51) 3 Me and the Eagle (04:55) 4 Johnny Too Bad (04:09) 5 Dominick St. (03:10) 6 Breed (02:44) 7 Time Has Come Today (04:16) 8 Ellis Unit One (04:40) 9 Creepy Jackalope Eye (03:05) 10 Willin (04:04) 11 Saras Angel (03:02) 12 My Uncle (03:29) 13 My Back Pages (04:08) |
| Sidetracks : Allmusic album Review : In his liner notes to Sidetracks, Steve Earle writes the following: "With the exception of the instrumentals...these (songs) are not outtakes. They are, rather, stray tracks, recorded at different times for different reasons that I am very proud of and are either unreleased or underexposed." In other words, Earle would appreciate it if you didnt call this another odds-and-sods collection and, given the consistent strength of his post-recovery body of work, he has every right to feel that way about this material. Sidetracks doesnt hold together with the cohesion of albums like I Feel Alright or The Mountain, but nothing here sounds like a leftover or something salvaged from the reject bin, either; these are solid and committed performances of good to very good songs, and they do indeed deserve wider circulation. Sidetracks also serves as a nice showcase for Steve Earle the Interpretive Singer. Since only six of the 13 tracks were written by Earle and two of those are instrumentals, for the most part you get to hear Earle try his hand at other peoples songs, and for the most part he sounds great, bringing his own feisty stamp to tunes as diverse as the Flying Burrito Brothers ode to draft dodging, "My Uncle," the reggae chestnut "Johnny Too Bad" (with Earle sounding like the first rude boy from Texas), the Chambers Brothers psych-soul protest anthem, "Time Has Come Today" (featuring guest vocals from Sheryl Crow and ghostly samples from Abbie Hoffman; it was recorded for the soundtrack to Steal This Movie), and Nirvanas angst-fest "Breed" (actually the most faithful cover on this disc). Beyond a couple of minor quibbles (as much as one might enjoy "Creepy Jackalope Eye," the real keeper from Earles EP with the Supersuckers was his high-attitude version of "Before They Make Me Run," which didnt make the cut here), Sidetracks is an impressive collection that makes clear Steve Earles leftovers make for a better album than most songwriters could construct from their top-shelf work -- and that he can get over as a singer and not just as a songwriter performing his own work. | ||
 | Album: 20 of 37 Title: The Collection Released: 2002-05-21 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:16:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Fearless Heart (04:07) 3 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 4 Someday (03:48) 5 Nowhere Road (02:50) 6 Sweet Little ’66 (02:39) 7 San Antonio Girl (03:09) 8 The Rain Came Down (04:09) 9 Copperhead Road (04:30) 10 Back to the Wall (05:28) 11 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 12 Justice in Ontario (04:43) 13 The Other Kind (05:10) 14 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (live) (04:17) 15 She’s About a Mover (live) (04:16) 16 Nebraska (05:21) 17 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (live) (03:51) 18 Little Sister (live) (03:15) 19 State Trooper (live) (05:12) |
| The Collection : Allmusic album Review : While Steve Earle reached his commercial peak with the 1988 album Copperhead Road, his reputation with critics and discriminating music fans has grown steadily since his 1996 "comeback" album, I Feel Alright, and since then the material from his first five albums -- Guitar Town, Exit O, Copperhead Road, The Hard Way, and Shut up and Die Like an Aviator -- has been recycled on a number of different compilations aimed at new fans looking to catch up with his earlier stuff. The Collection is the fifth such album to be released since 1993, and its neither the best nor the worst of the lot; the track selection focuses on the usual suspects from the first three albums, shortchanges the uneven but interesting The Hard Way (how come "Justice in Ontario" made the cut instead of the superb "Billy Austin"?), and gives you more than you really need from the road-weary Shut up and Die Like an Aviator. The Collection does tack on two hard-to-find live cuts for completists, "Little Sister" and a cover of Bruce Springsteens "Nebraska" (another Springsteen cover on this disc, "State Trooper," popped up on an edition of Guitar Town), and the mastering and liner notes are fine, but someone looking for an overview of Steve Earles years at MCA would be better served by picking up Aint Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 37 Title: Jerusalem Released: 2002-09-23 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Ashes to Ashes (04:02) 2 Amerika v. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do) (04:19) 3 Conspiracy Theory (04:14) 4 John Walkers Blues (03:41) 5 The Kind (02:04) 6 Whats a Simple Man to Do? (02:29) 7 The Truth (02:21) 8 Go Amanda (03:34) 9 I Remember You (02:52) 10 Shadowland (02:52) 11 Jerusalem (03:56) |
| Jerusalem : Allmusic album Review : Say what you will about him, but Steve Earle has never been afraid of getting people mad at him if he thought it was the right thing to do, and since his mid-90s career rebirth after overcoming multiple drug addictions, Earle seems far more interested in stirring people up with a productive purpose in mind rather than cheesing folks off just for the hell of it. Like nearly everyone in the United States, Earle was struck with anger and confusion following the events of September 11, 2001, and his thoughts on the subject form the backbone of his album Jerusalem. But instead of an appeal to patriotism or a tribute to the fallen, Earle has crafted a vision of America thrown into chaos, where the falling of the World Trade Center towers is just another symbol of a larger malaise which surrounds us. Before its release, Jerusalem already generated no small controversy over the song "John Walkers Blues," which tells the tale of "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh as seen through his own eyes. While "John Walkers Blues" is no more an endorsement of Lindhs actions than Bruce Springsteens "Nebraska" was a tribute to mass-murderer Charles Starkweather, even though its one of the albums strongest songs, if anything, it doesnt go quite far enough. While Earles thumbnail sketch of how an American boy could find a truth in the words of Mohammad rings true, it never quite explains making the leap from studying Islam to taking up arms thousands of miles from home. Still, its makes the point that the issues of our new "war on terrorism" are as relevant to our own backyards as the Middle East. As Earle tries to sort out the hows and whys of our news fears in "Ashes to Ashes" and "Conspiracy Theory," he cant help but think of other evidence of the erosion of the American dreams -- the growing gulf between the rich and the poor ("Amerika V. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do)"), the flaws of our judicial system ("The Truth"), illegal aliens chasing their own bit of an increasing elusive prosperity ("Whats A Simple Man to Do"). Earle asks a lot of questions on Jerusalem for which no one has the answers, but for all the rage, puzzlement, and remorse of these songs, the title track closes the album with a message of fervent hope -- that the answers cant be found in hate or violence, but peace and forgiveness. Jerusalem is the work of a thinking troublemaker with a loving heart, and while more than a few people will be angered by some of his views, Earle asks too many important questions to ignore, and the album is a brave and thought-provoking work of political art. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 37 Title: Just an American Boy Released: 2003 Tracks: 26 Duration: 1:41:07 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Audience intro (00:28) 2 Amerika V. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do) (04:37) 3 Ashes to Ashes (04:08) 4 Paranoia (01:28) 5 Conspiracy Theory (04:23) 6 I Remember You (03:10) 7 Schertz, Texas (02:51) 8 Hometown Blues (03:52) 9 The Mountain (05:38) 10 Pennsylvania Miners (01:08) 11 Harlan Man (03:29) 12 Copperhead Road (06:28) 13 Guitar Town (02:42) 14 I Oppose the Death Penalty (00:46) 15 Over Yonder (Jonathans Song) (04:19) 16 Billy Austin (06:54) 1 Audience Intro (00:24) 2 South Nashville Blues (03:00) 3 Rexs Blues / Ft. Worth Blues (06:56) 4 John Walkers Blues (03:29) 5 Jerusalem (04:07) 6 The Unrepentant (06:55) 7 Christmas in Washington (10:32) 8 Democracy (01:51) 9 Whats So Funny bout Peace, Love & Understanding (03:39) 10 Time You Waste (03:40) |
| Just an American Boy : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle subtitled his 2003 live album Just an American Boy an "Audio Documentary," which may be a bit more grand than it deserves, though in all fairness an awful lot had happened with Earle in the 12 years since his last live album, Shut Up and Die Like an Aviator (recorded shortly before Earles drug habit bottomed out both his career and his personal life for several years), and a lot was going on with him at the time this show was recorded. Always free with his opinions, Earles 2002 album Jerusalem, which was written and recorded in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, featured a song about "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, and soon Earle was being denounced as a traitor by right-wing commentators faster than you could say "Dixie Chicks." As Earle himself puts it on this album, recorded on the tour supporting Jerusalem, "Things have been really f*cking weird down South, and theyre gonna get even weirder," and he uses much of Just an American Boy to spotlight the progressive political slant that has long been a part of his songwriting, ranging from his moving anti-death penalty ballad "Billy Austin," the labor anthem "Harlan Man," and his call for new peoples heroes in "Christmas in Washington" to a venomous screed against "compassionate conservatism," "Amerika V. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do)." While Earle mounts a soapbox through much of this set, his political views fortunately dont take a back seat to his skill as a songwriter, which remains razor sharp, or his vocals, which are craggy but emphatic on these recordings, with Earle and his band (including Eric "Roscoe" Ambel and Will Rigby) revving up a potent head of steam throughout. And Earle still knows a good song and a good laugh on the apolitical side of things, as witnessed by "I Remember You," "Ft. Worth Blues," and his stories about encountering square-headed cowboys named Otto in Schertz, TX. The last time Earle recorded a live double, his voice was about to give up on him and he was running on fumes; Just an American Boy finds him strong, defiant, eager to take a stand, and playing like a man half his age. Maybe that doesnt merit an "Audio Documentary," but its pretty inspiring, and makes for good listening, too. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 37 Title: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Steve Earle Released: 2003 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 3 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 4 Someday (03:48) 5 Goodbye’s All We Got Left to Say (03:24) 6 I Aint Ever Satisfied (03:56) 7 Nowhere Road (02:50) 8 The Rain Came Down (04:14) 9 The Week of Living Dangerously (04:27) 10 Continental Trailways Blues (03:10) 11 Six Days on the Road (03:07) 12 Copperhead Road (04:30) |
| 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Steve Earle : Allmusic album Review : The Steve Earle entry in Universals 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection series of midline-priced best-ofs predictably treats Earles career as if it lasted only from 1985-1988 and consisted only of his earlier MCA Records recordings. Five tracks are culled from his MCA debut, Guitar Town, including the Top Ten country hits "Goodbyes All We Got Left" and the title track. Another four come from Guitar Towns follow-up, Exit O, with two tracks recorded for a movie soundtrack, one of which, a revival of Dave Dudleys "Six Days on the Road," made the country charts. The 12-track selection concludes with the title song from Earles third MCA album, Copperhead Road, which made the Top Ten of Billboards Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Its a bare-minimum primer on Earles most commercially successful music of the 1980s, but thats the idea. The country or rock fan who hasnt yet encountered Earle and wants to get an idea of what his music is like without paying full price for a front-line CD will satisfy that interest here and hopefully go on to the more comprehensive two-CD set I Aint Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection or his regular albums. | ||
 | Album: 24 of 37 Title: The Revolution Starts Now Released: 2004-08-24 Tracks: 11 Duration: 39:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Revolution Starts… (03:10) 2 Home to Houston (02:41) 3 Rich Mans War (03:25) 4 Warrior (04:11) 5 The Gringos Tale (04:33) 6 Condi, Condi (03:08) 7 F the CC (03:12) 8 Comin Around (03:41) 9 I Thought You Should Know (03:46) 10 The Seeker (03:11) 11 The Revolution Starts Now (04:23) |
 | Album: 25 of 37 Title: Chronicles Released: 2005-09-27 Tracks: 31 Duration: 2:01:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Guitar Town (02:34) 2 Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left (03:23) 3 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 4 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 5 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 6 Someday (03:48) 7 Think It Over (02:16) 8 Fearless Heart (04:07) 9 Little Rock ’n’ Roller (04:52) 10 Down the Road (02:37) 11 State Trooper (05:13) 1 Nowhere Road (02:50) 2 Sweet Little ’66 (02:39) 3 No. 29 (03:34) 4 Angry Young Man (04:28) 5 San Antonio Girl (03:08) 6 The Rain Came Down (04:08) 7 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:02) 8 The Week of Living Dangerously (03:42) 9 I Love You Too Much (03:42) 10 Its All Up to You (05:44) 1 Copperhead Road (04:30) 2 Snake Oil (03:30) 3 Back to the Wall (05:28) 4 Devil’s Right Hand (03:03) 5 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 6 Even When I’m Blue (04:14) 7 You Belong to Me (04:24) 8 Waiting on You (05:10) 9 Once You Love (04:40) 10 Nothing but a Child (04:23) |
 | Album: 26 of 37 Title: Live at Montreux 2005 Released: 2006 Tracks: 14 Duration: 56:22 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Jerusalem (04:29) 2 Whats a Simple Man to Do (03:32) 3 The Devils Right Hand (02:45) 4 Warrior (03:22) 5 Rich Mans War (03:49) 6 South Nashville Blues (02:52) 7 Cckmp (04:14) 8 Dixieland (03:48) 9 Ellis Unit One (04:40) 10 Condi Condi (03:31) 11 The Mountain (05:12) 12 The Revolution Starts Now (04:02) 13 Copperhead Road (04:30) 14 Christmas in Washington (05:36) |
| Live at Montreux 2005 : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle delivers a solo acoustic set on this live disc, recorded during an appearance at the 2005 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. There are already a handful of Steve Earle live albums on the market (most notably 2003s Just an American Boy), and Live at Montreux 2005 doesnt add much to his repertoire; while Earle is a captivating live performer on a good night, he works best with a band behind him, and the "one guy with his guitar" format of this recording doesnt show the man to his best advantage. Earle doesnt do himself any favors in this regard with his set list, playing several songs that dont fare especially well with only an acoustic guitar to prop them up, in particular "Condi Condi," "Whats a Simple Man to Do," and "The Revolution Starts Now." Perhaps aware that he was performing for an audience not fluent in English, Earle holds back on the between-song stories that add so much to the flavor of his live shows (or perhaps they were just edited out for CD release), and though Earle is in good voice on these songs, he doesnt seem to hit fifth gear on this set -- this doesnt catch fire the way a good Steve Earle show does. Still, the man is one of Americas best living songwriters, and the high points here not only show how great his work can be but the care and intelligence with which Earle can tell his stories, and hearing him sing "Ellis Unit One," "The Devils Right Hand," and "Jerusalem" is a treat. Royal fans will enjoy Live at Montreux 2005, but other folks interested in a Steve Earle live set would do better to try Just an American Boy instead. | ||
 | Album: 27 of 37 Title: The Definitive Collection: 1983-1997 Released: 2006-07-04 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:14:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nothin but You (02:28) 2 Guitar Town (02:34) 3 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 4 Fearless Heart (04:07) 5 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 6 Goodbye’s All We Got Left to Say (03:24) 7 Someday (03:48) 8 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (04:03) 9 The Week of Living Dangerously (04:27) 10 Copperhead Road (04:30) 11 Snake Oil (03:30) 12 Devils Right Hand (03:03) 13 Billy Austin (06:15) 14 Goodbye (04:57) 15 Valentines Day (03:43) 16 Ellis Unit One (04:40) 17 Feel Alright (03:04) 18 Christmas in Washington (04:59) 19 Telephone Road (03:42) |
| The Definitive Collection: 1983-1997 : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earles tenure at MCA Records has seemingly been anthologized to death by now, with seven compilations drawn from his MCA material already on the market at this writing, so one might wonder what the point would be of putting out another one. However, 2006s The Definitive Collection 1983-1997 at least makes an honest effort to live up to its title by also offering a brief look at his work before and after he signed with MCA. While the bulk of this disc concerns itself with Earles first three albums -- and six tracks come from his 1986 debut, Guitar Town -- the set opens with "Nothin But You" from his rockabilly-flavored Pink & Black EP, first released independently in 1982, and the final six songs document Earles triumphant comeback from his "vacation in the ghetto" with songs from his underrated acoustic album Train a Comin (1995) and the brilliant, harder-edged I Feel Alright (1996) and El Corazón (1997), as well as a live performance of "Valentines Day" and his superb contribution to the soundtrack of the film Dead Man Walking, "Ellis Unit One." During his first 15 years as a recording artist, Steve Earle made far too much good music to fit on one disc (which is one of the reasons to pick up the fine two-disc compilation Aint Ever Satisfied: The Steve Earle Collection), but this set at least manages to match up the cream of his MCA years with some examples of the fine material he recorded elsewhere, and its a good starter for anyone looking for an introduction to one of Americas finest and most fearless songwriters. | ||
 | Album: 28 of 37 Title: Washington Square Serenade Released: 2007-09-25 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Tennessee Blues (02:39) 2 Down Here Below (04:02) 3 Satellite Radio (04:09) 4 City of Immigrants (04:18) 5 Sparkle and Shine (03:12) 6 Come Home to Me (03:47) 7 Jericho Road (03:36) 8 Oxycontin Blues (02:54) 9 Red Is the Color (04:20) 10 Steve’s Hammer (For Pete) (03:15) 11 Days Aren’t Long Enough (03:01) 12 Way Down in the Hole (02:55) |
| Washington Square Serenade : Allmusic album Review : New York City has long been more than Americas biggest and most fabled city -- its a place that symbolizes fresh starts and new opportunities, and there are scores of songs and stories about folks pulling up roots and heading to the Big Apple in search of a better and more exciting life. Steve Earle wrote one such song on his 1997 album El Corazón, "NYC," in which a nervy kid from Tennessee hitchhikes to Manhattan because "there must be something happening, its just too big a town," and a decade later Earle followed him, moving to New York to escape Red State malaise. Washington Square Serenade, Earles 12th studio album and first in three years, deals in part with the sights and sounds of his new hometown, from the red-tailed hawk that lives in Central Park ("Down Here Below") to the multilingual chatter of the streets ("City of Immigrants"), while also taking a look back at the home he left behind on tunes like "Oxycontin Blues," "Red Is the Color," and "Jericho Road." While theres a strength in the familiar textures of the songs where Earle remembers Tennessee, theres a welcome sense of rejuvenation in the albums first half as he shares the details of his adventures in New York (which also includes a new bride, Allison Moorer, who lends lovely backing vocals to these sessions and is the presumable inspiration for "Sparkle and Shine" and "Days Arent Long Enough"), and the expressionistic imagery of "Down Here Below" and "Satellite Radio" works beautifully in this context. After producing his last few album himself, Earle turned those chores over to Dust Brother John King for Washington Square Serenade, and King brings a welcome collision of the traditional and the contemporary to the music, facing scratchy drum loops against mandolins and dobros while letting a folky simplicity carry the day when it best suits the song, and the sound is crisp and forceful throughout. Washington Square Serenade ultimately sounds a bit less focused than its immediate predecessors, the politically minded Jerusalem and The Revolution Starts...Now (despite the presence of "Red Is the Color" and "Steves Hammer"), but it also finds Earle trying out some new tricks both as a performer and a songwriter, and its exciting and encouraging to hear him exploring fresh turf after two decades of record-making, and theres lots of fine music to be had on this set. | ||
 | Album: 29 of 37 Title: Live From Austin, TX Released: 2008 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:06:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Transcendental Blues (04:15) 2 Everyones in Love With You (03:38) 3 Another Town (02:21) 4 Taneytown (05:11) 5 Hard-Core Troubadour (02:44) 6 Someday (04:04) 7 Telephone Road (03:58) 8 The Devils Right Hand (02:59) 9 More Than I Can Do (02:46) 10 I Can Wait (03:22) 11 Goodbye (05:44) 12 Steves Last Ramble (03:47) 13 Copperhead Road (06:29) 14 The Unrepentant (06:17) 15 Christmas in Washington (09:20) |
| Live From Austin, TX : Allmusic album Review : Steve Earle wasnt yet one of the most respected, intelligent, and controversial voices in Nashville when he stepped on-stage for a taping of the long-running public television series Austin City Limits in the fall of 1986 -- back then, he was a promising newcomer who was touring behind his well-received debut album, Guitar Town, and was recording the follow-up in fits and starts when he had downtime from the road. Live from Austin TX, part of a series of CD and DVD releases from the rich Austin City Limits archive, captures Earle when his confidence and stage smarts were not quite what they would be later on, and though there are more than a few great songs in this set, many of the tunes that would become cornerstones of his later live show (especially the mature work from his post-"vacation in the ghetto" period) havent been written yet, and frankly this edition of the Dukes wasnt the strongest he would ever have. But Earles energy and enthusiasm is well in evidence on this set, his voice is in solid shape, and the performance builds up a solid head of steam as it chugs through a solid 17-song set. Live from Austin TX is hardly the definitive Steve Earle live album, but its a fine snapshot of a major artist as he was first getting accustomed to the spotlight, and the talent, swagger, and conscience that would mark his best known work are all in evidence here, even if they havent yet reached sharp focus. | ||
 | Album: 30 of 37 Title: Townes Released: 2009-05-12 Tracks: 15 Duration: 54:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Pancho and Lefty (04:02) 2 White Freightliner Blues (03:28) 3 Colorado Girl (03:35) 4 Where I Lead Me (03:30) 5 Lungs (02:19) 6 No Place to Fall (02:53) 7 Loretta (03:14) 8 Brand New Companion (05:12) 9 Rake (03:23) 10 Delta Momma Blues (05:14) 11 Marie (04:53) 12 Dont Take It Too Bad (03:12) 13 Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold (02:18) 14 (Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria (03:20) 15 To Live Is to Fly (03:40) |
| Townes : Allmusic album Review : In his brief liner sketch on this album of Townes Van Zandt covers, songwriter Steve Earle writes: "I always read everything Townes told me to read. All of us did; we who followed him around, or simply bided our time in places along his migratory path, for we were indeed a cult, in the strictest sense of the word, with Townes at its ever shifting center." While what it was he read isnt worth spoiling here, its the last part of that long sentence that really matters. Van Zandt inspired a cult, and an even bigger list of pale imitators. Earle may lionize the man and the artist (hence the tribute record), and may have even begun as an imitator, but he became something else entirely -- an iconoclastic (and iconic) artist and producer in his own right who can interpret these songs as such. Van Zandt may have indeed been Earles "schoolmaster," but its Earle who does Van Zandts artistic legend justice in these 15 diverse, yet stripped down performances of his songs. Many of the choices are obvious: "Pancho and Lefty," "To Live Is to Fly," "White Freightliner Blues," "Delta Momma Blues,"and "Dont Take It Too Bad" among them. Some would be less so, save for an artist of Earles particular vision and world bent: "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold," "Rake," "Marie," "Colorado Girl," and "(Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria." That said, none of these arrangements are predictable, and yet all of them work. Earles approach is very basic with some interesting twists and turns. Acoustic guitars, upright basses, mandolin, Dobro, banjo, fiddle, and mandola sit alongside electric guitars (thanks to Rage Against the Machines Tom Morello) and basses, harmonium, and effects. The distorted blues harp and hand percussion on "Where I Lead Me," is an excellent touch, but the megaphone vocals, ambient and feedback noise, and drum loops and electric guitar crunch on "Lungs" make it sound more like Black 47 covering Van Zandt. The reverb and loops on "Loretta" juxtapose beautifully against the acoustic guitars and the fiddle. The version of "Marie" is less harrowing than its authors; it feels more third-person narrative than first-person horror story -- thank goodness. "White Freightliner Blues" captures the free-in-the-wind bluegrass nature Van Zandt intended, perhaps more so than his own world-weary delivery, thanks in large part to Tim OBriens mandolin, Darrell Scotts banjo, and Shad Cobbs fiddle. Earle would have had a hard time blowing this record. Certainly, hes closer than most to the material as he was to the man, but more than that hes a great songwriter and an avid folk music enthusiast. He understands lineages and the way the tales get told matter in order for them to live on. Thats the easy part; the more mercurial thing is how well he succeeded. Earle made Townes songs seem like an extension of his own last album, 2007s Washington Square Serenade. The same anything-goes-attitude, the adherence to all kinds of folk music, whether its from across oceans, terrains, or alleyways, whether its roots are rural or urban, permeates this recording, making it an Earle record most of all; and that is about as fitting a tribute as there is to Van Zandt. | ||
 | Album: 31 of 37 Title: I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive Released: 2011-04-25 Tracks: 11 Duration: 37:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Waitin’ on the Sky (03:29) 2 Little Emperor (02:58) 3 The Gulf of Mexico (04:15) 4 Molly‐O (03:20) 5 God Is God (03:59) 6 Meet Me in the Alleyway (04:25) 7 Every Part of Me (02:51) 8 Lonely Are the Free (03:23) 9 Heaven or Hell (03:26) 10 I Am a Wanderer (02:53) 11 This City (02:44) |
| I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive : Allmusic album Review : According to Steve Earles liner notes for Ill Never Get Out of This World Alive, these 11 songs are all "about mortality in one way or another." Certainly the title -- after a song by Hank Williams (also the title of Earles new novel) -- reflects this, but these songs bear that out in spades. Two of them, "God Is God" and "I Am a Wanderer," were written for Joan Baez and appeared on her Day After Tomorrow album. Earles versions are less stylized, more worldweary, ragged, and poignant. The former is a sobering anthem which states plainly that human beings -- beginning with the individual -- are not the center of the universe; and strikes at the heart of the conservative notion of "American exceptionalism: "I believe in God, and God aint us." The latter track is a plaintive country song whose protagonists are day laborers, the homeless, death row inmates, and societys castoffs. The shuffling rockabilly in "Waitin on the Sky," with producer T-Bone Burnetts and Jackson Smiths (Pattis son) layered electric guitars, Jay Belleroses taut snare, and Sara Watkins fiddle, highlight the genuine irony in Earles words. The hillbilly blues inform "Hey Little Emperor," and the lyrics disguise in pointed humor a deeper anger. "Molly-O" is an old-school murder ballad that offers evidence of a larger darkness than the crime. "The Gulf of Mexico" begins with Earle singing a cappella and becomes an uptempo, lonesome Celtic ballad texturally adorned by Greg Leiszs pedal steel. A song of workers and travelers who quest for basic sustenance, it describes the cost of doing so. Allison Moorer sings with Earle on the bluesy, broken love song "Heaven or Hell"; its martial drumbeat outlines the deathly seriousness in the narrative. "Meet Me in the Alleyway" is a an electric, streetwise, cut-time shuffle à la Tom Waits, with spooky guitar interplay between Smith and Burnett. The folk song "Lonely Are the Free" could have been the albums subtitle as mortality haunts its every phrase. The set closes with "This City," written for and performed in the HBO series Treme; its just as powerful without cinematic images, thanks to the lyric and Allen Toussaints forlorn, soulful horn arrangement. Ill Never Get Out of This World Alives lone downer is Burnetts unnecessarily heavy-handed production. That said, Earles vocals front and center in a brilliant song cycle transcend it. | ||
 | Album: 32 of 37 Title: The Warner Bros. Years Released: 2013-06-25 Tracks: 51 Duration: 2:51:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mystery Train, Part 2 (04:29) 2 Hometown Blues (02:33) 3 Sometimes She Forgets (03:01) 4 Mercenary Song (02:39) 5 Goodbye (03:02) 6 Tom Ames Prayer Lyrics (02:40) 7 Im Nothin’ Without You (03:02) 8 Angel Is the Devil (03:03) 9 Im Looking Through You (03:02) 10 Northern Winds (02:12) 11 Ben McCulloch (02:28) 12 Rivers of Babylon (01:41) 13 Tecumseh Valley (04:10) 1 Feel Alright (03:04) 2 Hard Core Troubadour (02:40) 3 More Than I Can Do (02:37) 4 Hurtin Me, Hurtin You (03:20) 5 Now Shes Gone (02:48) 6 Poor Boy (02:55) 7 Valentines Day (02:59) 8 The Unrepentant (04:30) 9 CCKMP (04:31) 10 Billy and Bonnie (03:38) 11 South Nashville Blues (02:28) 12 Youre Still Standin There (03:24) 1 Christmas in Washington (04:59) 2 Taneytown (05:13) 3 If You Fall (04:10) 4 I Still Carry You Around (02:45) 5 Telephone Road (03:42) 6 Somewhere Out There (03:46) 7 You Know the Rest (02:12) 8 N.Y.C. (03:37) 9 Poison Lovers (03:47) 10 The Other Side of Town (04:17) 11 Here I Am (02:38) 12 Ft. Worth Blues (04:03) 1 Mystery Train, Part 2 (04:29) 2 Hometown Blues (02:33) 3 Devils Right Hand (03:03) 4 Angel Is the Devil (03:03) 5 Walls of Time (05:02) 6 Sometimes She Forgets (03:04) 7 You Know the Rest (02:10) 8 Im Looking Through You (03:02) 9 Rivers of Babylon (01:41) 10 Goodbye (03:02) 11 Nothin Without You (03:02) 12 When Will We Be Married (05:08) 13 Northern Winds/Ben McCulloch (05:28) 14 Copperhead Road (04:29) |
| The Warner Bros. Years : Allmusic album Review : In his brief intro to this collection, Steve Earle makes one point: that his creativity in recovery is far greater than it was in the throes of addiction. He writes, "Ive done way more shit sober than I did fucked up...There are people who would argue that my early albums, Guitar Town and Copperhead Road are better records than Train a Comin and El Corazón but theyre wrong...." Writer/director/colleague David Simon (Homicide, The Wire, Treme) makes a far longer, more detailed, and personal case for the same thing in his lengthy liner essay. The truth is that Earles right; the three studio albums collected from his tenure with Warner Bros. -- Train a Comin, I Feel Alright, and El Corazón -- were all recorded in consecutive years after his getting out of jail and rehab. They are as different from one another as they are from virtually anything else on the Americana scene, and they remain so. Train a Comin featured current songs ("Goodbye," "Angel Is the Devil") against some of his earliest ("Tom Ames Prayer," "Ben McCulloch"), stripped to the bone and played acoustically with legends Norman Blake, Roy Huskey, and Peter Rowan. I Feel Alright was the direct opposite, a more roots-oriented return to the rock & roll of Copperhead Road, yet harder and more consistent: evidence lies in tracks such as the title, "Hard-Core Troubadour," "Billy and Bonnie," and "South Nashville Blues." But its the last of these recordings that is the masterpiece. El Corazón wed country, bluegrass, Celtic folk, and rock & roll in a collection that brought Earles wide range into clear view. Though there isnt a weak track on the set, the highlights, to name a few, include the protest folk of "Christmas in Washington," which calls on the wandering spirits of Woody Guthrie, Emma Goldman, and Joe Hill to inspire a new generation; the rock & roll indictment of racism in "Taneytown" with Emmylou Harris; "I Still Carry You Around," a busted bluegrass love song with the Del McCoury Band (with whom he would record The Mountain a year later); the hard alt-country of "N.Y.C." with the Supersuckers; and the haunted Celtic/Texas country balladry of "Ft. Worth Blues." Few artists have had a three-album run like that. In addition, there is another disc containing a Nashville concert from 1995 that features guest spots from Bill Monroe and Harris, as well as a DVD with a gig at the Cold Creek Correctional Facility from 1996. Its all packaged in a handsome slipcase, with two separate digipacks illustrated by Tony Fitzpatrick and a handsome booklet with the essays by Earle and Simon and complete lyrics. With the incentive of live material for old fans and the sheer brilliance on offer when these records are taken together, The Warner Bros. Years is a powerful testament to Earles second act. | ||
 | Album: 33 of 37 Title: The Definitive Collection: 1986-1992 Released: 2013-07-16 Tracks: 39 Duration: 2:32:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Copperhead Road (04:30) 2 Devil’s Right Hand (03:03) 3 Guitar Town (02:34) 4 Think It Over (02:16) 5 Regular Guy (03:17) 6 The Other Kind (05:09) 7 San Antonio Girl (03:06) 8 Angry Young Man (04:26) 9 Someday (03:48) 10 Hopeless Romantics (02:44) 11 Johnny Come Lately (04:09) 12 Dead Flowers (live) (06:31) 13 Snake Oil (03:30) 14 Billy Austin (06:15) 15 I Love You Too Much (03:44) 16 Hillbilly Highway (03:38) 17 Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough) (03:59) 18 Its All Up to You (05:44) 19 My Baby Worships Me (03:33) 1 Down the Road (02:14) 2 Nothing but a Child (04:23) 3 West Nashville Boogie (03:09) 4 My Old Friend the Blues (03:09) 5 Little Rock ’n’ Roller (04:52) 6 I Ain’t Ever Satisfied (03:54) 7 The Week of Living Dangerously (04:23) 8 Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left (03:23) 9 The Rain Came Down (04:08) 10 Fearless Heart (04:07) 11 Sweet Little 66 (02:39) 12 Even When I’m Blue (04:14) 13 You Belong to Me (04:24) 14 Have Mercy (04:41) 15 Country Girl (04:11) 16 Promise You Anything (02:43) 17 When the People Find Out (04:10) 18 Nowhere Road (02:48) 19 Nebraska (05:21) 20 This Highway’s Mine (Roadmaster) (03:54) |
 | Album: 34 of 37 Title: Townes: The Basics Released: 2014-04-19 Tracks: 11 Duration: 38:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Pancho and Lefty (04:01) 2 Where I Lead Me (03:37) 3 Lungs (02:22) 4 No Place to Fall (02:56) 5 Loretta (03:14) 6 Brand New Companion (05:11) 7 Rake (03:21) 8 Marie (04:49) 9 Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold (02:33) 10 (Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria (03:15) 11 To Live Is to Fly (03:36) |
 | Album: 35 of 37 Title: Down at the Club Released: 2014-06-02 Tracks: 15 Duration: 1:13:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Copperhead Road (04:47) 2 Good Ol’ Boy (05:22) 3 The Rain Came Down (03:58) 4 San Antonio Girl (03:52) 5 Even When I’m Blue (04:03) 6 Someday (05:07) 7 The Devil’s Right Hand (03:05) 8 Johhny Comme Lately (05:11) 9 Nothing but a Child (07:37) 10 The Week of Living Dangerously (04:25) 11 Waiting on You (05:11) 12 You Belong to Me (05:07) 13 No. 29 (04:17) 14 My Baby Worships Me (05:12) 15 It’s All Up to You (06:27) |
 | Album: 36 of 37 Title: Live in Nashville 1995 Released: 2014-07-08 Tracks: 14 Duration: 53:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Mystery Train Part II (02:51) 2 Hometown Blues (02:49) 3 The Devils Right Hand (03:21) 4 Angel Is the Devil (02:41) 5 Walls of Time (05:02) 6 Sometimes She Forgets (03:36) 7 You Know the Rest (02:10) 8 Im Looking Through You (03:06) 9 Rivers of Babylon (04:08) 10 Goodbye (05:30) 11 Nothin Without You (03:51) 12 When Will We Be Married (04:02) 13 Northern Winds/Ben McCulloch (05:28) 14 Copperhead Road (05:02) |
| Live in Nashville 1995 : Allmusic album Review : Live in Nashville 1995 is singer and songwriter Steve Earles Nashville "comeback" concert, issued after completing rehab after a stay in a corrections facility. It was performed after the original Winter Harvest Productions issue of Train a Comin (later picked up by Warner Bros.). The studio album was released in February of that year, and this gig took place in the fall. This is the first time this disc is being released as a separate title, but it should be noted that those who purchased the box set The Warner Bros. Years already have it. On-stage, a hungry, newly sober Earle walks a tightrope of instinct and desire. His acoustic backing band consists of the same legendary cats who backed him on Train a Comin: Peter Rowan, Norman Blake, and Roy Husky, Jr. Also featured are guest appearances by Emmylou Harris and Bill Monroe. The songs are rooted in country, folk-blues and bluegrass, and string band music. The lions share of this material is drawn from the studio offering, but these versions with their crackling loose energy are superior. Check the rag blues of "Hometown Blues," the thump and swagger in "Mystery Train, Pt. 2," the Celtic roots in "When Will We Be Married," and the sweet and roughshod "Sometimes She Forgets," as well as fun, back-porch readings of the Beatles "Im Looking Through You" and the Melodians "The Rivers of Babylon," which finds Earle melding the reggae standard with Dobro, mandolin, upright bass, and acoustic guitar. It also features an excellent backing vocal from Harris. Also peppering this collection are excellent acoustic versions of the title track and "The Devils Right Hand" from Copperhead Road, and the premiere of "You Know the Rest" that would appear -- thoroughly rearranged -- on El Corazón in 1997. This one contains a killer flatpicking guitar break from Blake. For Earle fans who didnt purchase the box, this is a real treasure, not a careless add-on to the catalog. | ||
 | Album: 37 of 37 Title: Colvin & Earle Released: 2016-06-10 Tracks: 13 Duration: 43:16 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Come What May (03:13) 2 Tell Moses (03:41) 3 Tobacco Road (02:50) 4 Ruby Tuesday (03:35) 5 The Way That We Do (04:21) 6 Happy and Free (02:17) 7 You Were on My Mind (02:57) 8 You’re Right (I’m Wrong) (04:14) 9 Raise the Dead (02:51) 10 You’re Still Gone (03:40) 11 Someday (03:52) 12 That Don’t Worry Me Now (03:16) 13 Baby’s in Black (02:23) |
| Colvin & Earle : Allmusic album Review : Shawn Colvin has landed a few tunes on the pop charts over the course of her career, and Steve Earle was briefly a legitimate country star. But in 2016, as the two team up for their first album as a duo, Colvin & Earle are folkies -- hip folkies, to be sure, but at heart two singer/songwriters on the far side of 50 who like swapping harmonies and strumming their acoustic guitars. Colvin & Earle sound like good friends who enjoy singing together, and this album has a lively and spontaneous atmosphere, especially when the two are singing old covers. For Shawn and Steves generation, if "Tobacco Road," "Ruby Tuesday," and "You Were on My Mind" dont qualify as folk songs, its hard to imagine what would, and "Tell Moses" borrows enough from a fistful of old traditional numbers that it feels more like a cover than a Colvin/Earle original, despite the songwriting credits. Colvins voice, still sweet if seasoned by time, proves to be a fine match for Earles more rugged instrument, and he shows good instincts as he dodges in and around her lead lines. Buddy Miller produced the Colvin & Earle sessions, and he gives these recordings a sound thats rich but doesnt sound fussed over, especially the deep bass and drums (from Chris Wood and Fred Eltringham) and the layers of guitar provided by Earle, Miller, and Richard Bennett. Colvin & Earle sound great on the covers on this album, and quite good on the originals. This effort seems to be another example of a project where the songwriters were saving their A-list material for their own set, but if "Youre Right (Im Wrong") and "Happy and Free" dont rank with the best songs either Colvin or Earle have written, theyre a long, long way from bad. They reflect facets of each tunesmith, and theyre not likely to let down fans of either artist. Colvin & Earle plays more like a detour for these two artists rather than the beginning of a long-standing collaboration, but the enthusiasm here is honest and the result is a good weeks work that leaves room for a sequel. | ||