Steve Earle - Townes
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CD Details
Artist: Steve EarleEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2009-05-12
Music Label: New West Records
Soundtracks:
- Pancho and Lefty
- White Freightliner Blues
- Colorado Girl
- Where I Lead Me
- Lungs
- No Place To Fall
- Loretta
- Brand New Companion
- Rake
- Delta Momma Blues
- Marie
- Don t Take It Too Bad
- Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold
- (Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria
- To Live Is To Fly
Music reviews of Townes
Music Review: Earle Loses Himself ~ And His Voice ~ In TOWNES
Rating: 3 Stars
Having followed Steve Earle religiously since 1986's GUITAR TOWN, I'm pretty much up for anything he'll toss our way, be it bouncy bluegrass, snarling rock or tours of New York. That's why it's hard ~ and sad! ~ to say that his latest, TOWNES, a collection of mentor Townes Van Zandt's songs, is more of a miss than a hit.
Lost in a frequently muddy mix and murky vocals, Van Zandt's words often get dropped, spiraling down to a deep, dark hole by disc's end. Meant as a celebration of Van Zandt's thoughtful, almost poetic, talents, the power and grace is lost in many of Earle's gutteral, raspy mumblings.
Things start out strong enough with a faithful version of the classic "Pancho and Lefty." Earle's vocal is up front and honest, allowing the story to unfold in an honest, easy-going manner. Minimal instrumentation adds to the overall feel, but never overpowers. Consequently, the lyrics just pop!
There's a spirited groove to the arrangement of "White Freightliner Blues", all banjo, fiddle and mandolin...this is bluegrass at it's most infectious! However, this is the first (of many) lead vocal that leaves us wanting....it's almost as if he's straining to keep up with the music, a battle that he eventually loses.
"Colorado Girl" fares much better. Earle's vocal is backed by a lone acoustic guitar, and it just shines. There's a weariness, a vulnerablilty and, yes, a dash of hopefulness, that all comes together beautifully. Tracks like this one showcase both the song AND the singer....as it should be.
"Where I Lead Me" has a nice edge to it, with some killer harmonica and percussion, but once again Earle mumbles his way through the lyrics, pretty much dropping every third word. That's a bad enough thing to do on your own material, but when you're covering someone else's? NOT a good thing!
"Lungs" might have worked better mixed into a regular Earle album, but here it's fuzzy, new-wavish rock edge seems ou of place. Don't get me wrong, it's a cool track, but it just doesn't seem to fit in with all the others. But maybe that was part of Van Zandt's charms...!
There's a lethargic quality to "No Place To Fall" that's felt in both the vocal and arrangement. A song that should be sweet and sentimental comes across as plodding and mournful. And, once again, we have those mushy vocals!
"Loretta" has an easy-going charm to it, sort of a back porch groove. Allison Moorer provides sterling backing vocals, while special note has to be made of Greg Morrow's crisp, gut-punching drums. This one goes right to the edge, but at the same time fits right in. Very nice!
The same can be said about "Brand New Companion." With it's drunken, bluesy vibe, the song just dances in and out of the speakers. Add some smokey harmonica and an earthy lead vocal, and you have one of TOWNES' best cuts.
There's a chilly, forboding quality to "Rake" that's simply mesmerizing. Once again, Earle drops way too many of the lyrics, but a number of the ones heard are sheer poetry: "I covered my lovers with flowers and wounds/My laughter the devil would frighten", "I'd welcome the stars with wine and guitars." Lovely...absolutely lovely! Yet another gem!
There's something about "Delta Momma Blues" that just doesn't work for me...I don't know if it's the cross-gender thing or the pseudo-homespun quality to the cut, but something just seems forced and fake, and those are qualities you don't EVER expect to find on a Steve Earle release!
The poetry returns with "Marie", the disc's strongest story-song. This tale of trying to stay afloat ~ and failing ~ is full of stark lyrics ("Well, Marie, she didn't wake up this morn'/Didn't even try/Just rolled over and went to heaven/A little boy safe inside") that just shine, but, once again, Earle's enunciation causes us to lose out on some of their beauty.
"Don't Take It Too Bad" is a classic Country weeper. There's wisdom, sorrow, resignation and hope here, all rolled up together, with each one coming to the surface at different moments. Toss in minimal, but honest, instrumentation, and you have another special moment.
Up next is my favorite song on TOWNES, the rollicking "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold." Done as a duet with son Justin Townes, the word play banters and bounces, while the acoustic guitars just sparkle. It's almost like a vocal duel, with both combatants coming out on top. I love, love, LOVE this track!
There's a smooth, casual sway to "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria" that's rather touching. Earle's voice wraps around the delicate lyrics ("All the sculptors stand stricken/The painter, he throws down his brushes/When her image comes dancing"), resulting in a true ode to captivating love.
Things end on a slightly downbeat note with "To Live Is To Fly." Earle's vocal generates little steam at best, while the arrangement just plods along. Moorer offers up some nice backing vocals, but things really needed to end with more of a punch. I see what he was going for here...it just didn't happen.
So...while I enjoyed a lot of TOWNES, I'd have to say it was a failed success at best. When you're paying tribute to someone, particularly a noted writer, you need to have the reason for the tribute ~ their words ~ up front and center, and that's often just not the case here. As a strong writer of merit himself, Steve Earle should know this. (As with all my reviews, I'm also docking the disc half a star for not including the lyrics, a cardinal sin for a project like this!).
Description of Townes
Steve Earle is set to release Townes, his highly anticipated follow up to the Grammy Award winning album Washington Square Serenade. The 15-song set is comprised of songs written by Earle s friend and mentor, the late singer-songwriter, Townes Van Zandt. Townes will also be available as a deluxe two-CD set, as well as double Limited Edition 180 gram vinyl.The album was produced by Earle at his home in Greenwich Village, at Sound Emporium and Room and Board in Nashville, TN and The Nest in Hollywood, CA. The track Lungs, was produced and mixed by the Dust Brothers John King and features Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine/The Nightwatchman on electric guitar. Earle s wife, the acclaimed singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, is featured on backing vocals on Loretta and To Live Is To Fly. Three songs cut in Nashville, White Freightliner Blues, Delta Momma Blues, and Don t Take It Too Bad feature a bluegrass band consisting of Dennis Crouch, Tim O Brien, Darrel Scott and Shad Cobb.
Earle met Townes Van Zandt in 1972 at one of Earle s performances at The Old Quarter in Houston, TX. Van Zandt was in the audience and playfully heckled Earle throughout the performance to play the song Wabash Cannonball Earle admitted that he didn t know how to play the tune and Van Zandt replied incredibly You call yourself a folksinger and you don t know Wabash Cannonball? Earle then silenced him by playing the Van Zandt song Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold, not an easy feat due to its quickly-paced mouthful of lyrics squeezed into just over two minutes of song. Their bond was immediately formed. On Townes, Earle and his son, singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle (named after Van Zandt) trade verses on the tune, a song the two of them have been playing together since Justin was a teenager.
The songs selected for Townes were the ones that meant the most to Earle and the ones he personally connected to (not including selections featured on previous Earle albums). Some of the selections chosen were songs that Earle has played his entire career ( Pancho and Lefty, Lungs, White Freightliner Blues ) and others he had to learn specifically for recording. He learned the song (Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria directly from Van Zandt, and taught himself Marie and Rake specifically for the album s recording. Once a song he played during his live show, Earle relearned Colorado Girl in the original Open D tuning that Van Zandt played it in. Earle recorded the New York sessions solo and then added the other instruments later on in order to preserve the spirit of Van Zandt s original solo performances to the best of his recollection.
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