JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE

The Good Life

2008-03-25

Poor guy. Son of Steve Earle and named after Townes Van Zandt. Doomed. And he was, early on, mirroring his dad's early flame out. But what we have here is personal, not political. Self-effacing, not self-aggrandizing. And amid all the famous people he's supposed to be, or to emulate, one reviewer mentions Hoagy Carmichael, the great jazz pianist and songwriter -- and I like that analogy here. Not because the songs are jazz-related, but because JTE's languid delivery of these mostly alt-country tunes bring Hoagy to my mind and ears (in fact, the bouncy "South Georgia" really cements the image). The record company touts the early songs of this set ("Who Am I to Say" does sound like the old man), but I think the record gets better as it progresses, with some gems near the finale. Well done, son. 03/08 MJVD F-Alt Country

Quick Links:

More reviews tagged #Folk

  • reviewed 05/2015

    Lyal Strickland
    Balanced on Barbed Wire

  • reviewed 03/2007

    Greg Johnson
    Me & Joanna

  • reviewed 06/2006

    BACK FORTY
    Down Home Funkgrass

  • reviewed 08/2004

    Various Artists
    Por Vida: A Tribute to the Songs of Alejandro Escovedo

  • reviewed 10/2009

    THE PANTONES
    Inside the Sun's Wild Flame

  • reviewed 12/2010

    JOHN FRANCIS
    The Better Angels

Compiled by the WYCE Journalism Club

The opinions expressed in these reviews are those of the individual volunteers that submitted the article and do not necessarily reflect the views of WYCE or GRCMC; nor its staff, donors, or affiliates.