All Eyes Out For You

Best Albums of 2009: #6 Steve Earle - 'Townes'

Was there a more inevitable album in 2009?  The big surprise was that it took Steve Earle so long to get around to recording a Townes Van Zant tribute record.

It came as little surprise, however, that Earle made each tune on this album feel authentic and lived in, as virtually no other Van Zant devotee possibly could.  Having learned many of these songs literally at the feet of the master, Earle once again reminds us why Van Zant is so highly regarded and why these songs, no matter how well-known or obscure, are bound to endure for many years to come.

Adding to the overall quality of Townes is the fact that Earle finally seems to be comfortable in his new approach to recording, which involves polishing solo demos and tracking instruments for the record later.  As such, this album feels very much in line with his solo acoustic performances of the past few years.  Who knows if this is what we can expect from Earle in the future, but I can definitely say I'm looking forward to the next Steve Earle album.

Steve Earle in Vintage Guitar magazine

The latest issue of Vintage Guitar (or as Mrs. K calls it, my guitar porn) is on newsstands now, and Steve Earle is on the cover.  He and his guitar guru, Matt Umanov, talk vintage guitars as well as Steve's new Martin M-21 (which was co-designed by Umanov).

Steve Earle’s ‘Townes’ (further thoughts)

Quite a few years ago, I read an interview with Steve Earle in a British music magazine where he was asked what songs he would pick for a covers record. After rattling off some interesting choices (The Godfathers' "Birth, School, Work, Death"!), he concluded that he would probably just record an entire album of Townes Van Zandt songs.

It's taken a while for him to fulfill that promise, but I imagine there was little doubt among Earle's fans that he would eventually get around to it. Steve Earle has carried the torch of Van Zandt more faithfully than just about anyone else, even though the list of passionate Van Zandt boosters includes just about every singer-songwriter to emerge from the Lone Star State in the past three decades. But Earle actually studied at the feet of Van Zandt, going so far as to adopt many of the same self-destructive habits. Earle abandoned that path just before Van Zandt passed away. Since then, his music has been more widely heard and celebrated, but he still remains a cult figure among American songwriters.

Earle's 15-song tribute, simply titled Townes, seeks to further expand the audience for Van Zandt's music. But more than that, the record connects the dots from Van Zandt to Earle and back again. In a strange way, the album may not qualify as essential listening. Unless, of course, you are a Steve Earle fan. In that case, it is utterly required listening, a wonderful, heartfelt missing link in Earle's catalog. Earle claims even to have re-learned many of these tunes to recreate the ways that he remembers them being played by Van Zandt in the clubs of Houston back in the '70's. Perhaps the better document of that effort is the companion CD Townes: The Basics, available in a deluxe edition and featuring Earle's acoustic demos that became the basic tracks for the album. Though mostly faithful to the original arrangements, Earle's vocals are an interesting contrast to Van Zandt's originals, which featured his high, lonesome singing.  Musically, Townes is as close to Train A' Comin' as anything he's done since, with a few nods to Earle's bluegrass album The Mountain.  Earle toured acoustically to support Washington Square Serenade, and it's gratifying to hear him record an album in that spirit.  

Cynics might view this album as an attempt to divert attention Earle's more recent output (though I thought 2007's Washington Square qualified as a modest return to form). As an album, there are probably a few too many tracks here with not enough variation between them. But no particular track stands out as a clunker, and the fan could argue that he should've just gone whole hog for a double album of TVZ songs. In a recent NPR interview, Earle rightfully asserted that he has probably done more to perpetuate the myth of Van Zandt than probably anyone else. And he noted that a myth must contain some essence of truth to persist.  Earle has approached the songs of Townes Van Zandt with the same combination of open-eyed honesty and hero worship, and the result does them both proud.

Steve Earle - 'Townes' (out now)

One of the more unfortunate scheduling conflicts in recent memory was my being on vacation this past Saturday when Steve Earle rolled through Houston on his weeklong record store tour, stopping again at Cactus Music to promote the release of his new Townes Van Zant tribute record, Townes.

The Houston Press has a full recap, along with a YouTube of Steve playing his own "Taneytown".

In the meantime, Townes was one of the albums I really played the hell out of during our trip to New Mexico.  Yesterday, my official copy arrived, the two-disc "deluxe" version featuring a full CD of acoustic versions of 11 of the 15 album tracks.  Just blowing through a few of the bonus tracks, I can tell you it's probably worth the extra six bucks or so.  For anyone wishing that Steve's version of "Lungs" had a lot less Tom Morello and turntables, you'll be richly rewarded.  But either way, Townes is great release and sure to be one of my favorites of the year.

And I'll be licking my wounds at The Crighton Theatre in Conroe come June 18, when Steve swings back to town - well, darn close to town - and plays an acoustic show at the historic, intimate venue.  Season subscriber seats were being held through May 15, and all remaining tickets should be on sale to the public.  Call the Crighton Theatre directly to get your tickets (they're really nice, and they'll be able to tell you exactly where your seats will be).

It's some small consolation that Allison Moorer was not with Steve this time around.  Here are some of my photos from their 2008 joint instore at Cactus, just for old time's sake.

Just in case you're wondering, here are a few of the other albums, old and new, that were in heavy rotation last week (much to the chagrin of Mrs. K, I like my listening to match my location pretty closely):

• Dave Alvin - Ashgrove (we very nearly hiked down to the banks of the Rio Grande, so this one was a no-brainer)
• John Doe & The Sadies - Country Club (rapidly becoming one of my favorite albums of the year)
• Hayes Carll - Little Rock and Trouble In Mind (I re-read McMurtry's All My Friends Are Gonna Be Strangers while on vacation, and the character of Danny Deck puts me very much in the mood for Hayes Carll)
• Ryan Bingham & Dead Horses - Mescalito (not an album I've listened to very much, but I like it more and more.  He has a new album due on June 2)

So there you have it - the Santa Fe Playlist.

Steve Earle - 'Townes' (May 12)

Pitchfork has the goods on Steve Earle's upcoming Townes Van Zant tribute album.  The also have a stream of "Lungs," which features Tom Morello on guitar.

May 12 on New West Records.

Steve Earle in The Socialist Worker

This one is really just to get our buddy Babalugats all worked up, but I stumbled upon this in-depth interview with Steve Earle in The Socialist Worker.