Justin Townes Earle CD Review
Justin Townes Earle
The Good Life
Bloodshot Records-BS151
*****
Bloodshot have a roster full of great acts, now they have an artist that could carry the torch for the future of country music!
Just think of the weight that must be on the shoulders of a singer/songwriter who is not only the son of Steve Earle, but is also named after one of the greatest ever songwriters and storytellers, Townes Van Zandt. Well Justin Townes Earle is that person, but at just 25 years old he has just released probably one of the best albums for a very, very long time…so he must be dealing with that pressure quite well!
His early years growing up in Nashville could have taken him in a completely different, and thoroughly bad way though, as whilst spending a misspent youth playing in various bands he developed some very bad habits. It was due to these ‘habits’ that got him fired from his father’s band, as his problems became indefensible.
Luckily he quickly came to his senses, as he realised that you do not need to be screwed up and tortured to write country songs, especially when you don’t even remember writing them afterwards. So he cleaned up his act, and is now writing some phenomenal songs that his namesake (Townes Van Zandt) would be highly proud of.
Justin started off trying to make an old-time styled country album, but he said that other musical influences changed that. But I personally think that the music on the album at times is very much in the style of Hank Williams Sr., especially the excellent opening track Hard Livin’ which is great old time country swing with Earle’s excellent vocals accompanied superbly by guitar, fiddle, mandolin, piano etc.
The Good Life follows on with the Hank Williams sound with some tremendous lap steel from Pete Finney. Justin shows his singing qualities as he conjures up the isolation and loneliness of a soldier in the Civil War in the haunting Lone Pine Hill.
South Georgia Sugar Babe is a superb fun tempo country/jazz number, and he deals with the blues magnificently on What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome.
He also shows that he can pull out all the emotions for Ballads, as heard on great songs like Turn Out My Lights on which he also plays harmonica, and the quite amazing Far Away In Another Town.
This guy is by far one of the best singer/songwriters around, and I hope that he is brought over to the UK to showcase this quite remarkable album. DK