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- Summary: Steve Earle covers songs by the late Townes Van Zandt for his latest album.
- Record Label: New West
- Genre(s): Rock, Country, Folk
- More Details and Credits »
Top Track
| Pancho and Lefty | |
|---|---|
| Unfortunately, we are not authorized to show these lyrics... | See the rest of the song lyrics |
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 15 out of 16
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Mixed: 1 out of 16
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Negative: 0 out of 16
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Earle, Townes Van Zandt's foremost disciple, gives 15 favorites the kind of carefully considered settings they deserve.
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Townes is unparalleled in its versions of Van Zandt's songs, Earle bringing all the emotional complexity of their association to bear in tones of both joy and regret.
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Q MagazineEarle believes this is one of his best albums; he's not wrong. [Jun 2009, p.132]
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Every one of these 15 tunes is a living, breathing creature, from the haunting, modal-tinged blues-waltz (with cello) of 'Rake' to the jaunty fingerpicking and mouthy dialogue of 'Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold' (a duet featuring son Justin Townes Earle) to the eternally elegant Tex-Mex anthem 'Pancho and Lefty.'
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While Earle's brawny attack might seem ill-suited to Van Zandt's wistful angst, he does his idol justice on this vibrant covers set, delivering supersonic bluegrass and starry-eyed ballads with the same thoughtful finesse.
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His voice lacks Van Zandt's sweet frailty, but it brings gruff tenderness to classics like 'To Live Is to Fly.'
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Townes, though well intended, shows neither of these formidable artists in his best light.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 0 out of 1
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Mixed: 1 out of 1
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Negative: 0 out of 1
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VaughnAMay 27, 2009
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