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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

The Good Life
by Justin Townes Earle


8.5

based on 9 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 2 votes
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Justin Townes Earle @ Bloodshot Records

The son of Grammy-winning singer Steve Earle releases his debut album.

LABEL:	Bloodshot
RELEASE DATE:	25 March 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Country, Alternative

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Slant Magazine

What elevates Good Life over, to pick the obvious parallels, Hank Williams III's Risin' Outlow and Shooter Jennings's Put the 'O' Back in Country is that Earle's debut isn't limited to simple retro-minded mimicry.

The New York Times

The stylized, old-time country of 'Hard Livin’,' 'Ain’t Glad I’m Leavin’,' 'What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome' or 'Lonesome and You'--yes there’s a theme there--frees him to find glimmers of humor amid the plaints.

Under The Radar

With its timelessness and craftmanship, The Good Life succeeds where The Wallflowers failed. [Spring 2008, p.85]

All Music Guide

The simple arrangements and hands-off production add to the gentle but decisive impact of The Good Life, and the result is a fine calling card for a young singer/songwriter who may not have worked out every last detail of his sound but clearly knows where he's going, and it happens to be a place worth visiting.

PopMatters

On his first full length record, The Good Life, Justin Townes Earle delivers the best debut roots music has seen since Old Crow Medicine Show hit the big time with "OCMS" in 2004.

Austin Chronicle

Though his father, Steve Earle, once vowed to climb on Dylan's coffee table to champion the late Townes Van Zandt, the next generation two-steps through such a musical minefield and turns out a winner with his Bloodshot Records debut, The Good Life.

Uncut

It's a modest sampler, with a feel more akin to 1961 than 2008. [May 2008, p.98]

Mojo

It's not a bad album, just not that distinctive. [May 2008, p.111]

NOW Magazine

The 25-year-old Earle may have the false front teeth to show for his hard livin’, but he hasn’t yet figured out how to translate it into unique, memorable songs.

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

G M gave it a9:
When I try to recommend one or two songs to someone to entice them to want to listen to the rest, I end up picking them all. They're all favourites. It's only 30 minutes long - that makes it very easy to give a shot and get to know. It's very, very likable if you give it a chance.

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The Good Life by Justin Townes Earle

The Good Life
by Justin Townes Earle