I'm always glad when the Odyssey rolls this next artist - one of my all-time favourites.
Disc 226 is...Washington Square Serenade
Artist: Steve Earle
Year of Release: 2007
What’s Up With The Cover?: It is a piece of artwork by a guy named Tony Fitzpatrick. It is typical of Fitzpatrick's stuff, with lots of different images, busily connected together. I'm not really a fan of this stuff, which is too bad, since Earle has been using him for cover art dating all the way back to the "I Feel Alright" album in 1996 (which I reviewed back at Disc 14, before I had a "What's With the Cover?" category).
How I Came To Know It: It was a new release from Steve Earle in 2007, so there wasn't really any internal discussion. I bought it when it came out, because I frickin' love Steve Earle.
How It Stacks Up: I have fourteen studio albums by Steve Earle. "Washington Square Serenade" isn't one of my favourites, but it holds its own, and a lesser Earle album is still better than most artist's best efforts. I'll say it is 11th.
Rating: 3 stars.
"Washington Square Serenade" is Earle's last studio album of original music (2009's "Townes" is a more recent album, but that is all remakes of Townes Van Zandt songs - reviewed way back at Disc 28).
As the title implies, "Washington Square Serenade" is focused a lot on Earle' newest love, the city of New York. I love New York as well, so I don't get tired of albums praising it, even though there are many.
The opening track, "Tennessee Blues" is a song situated Earle as a traveller leaving the south behind to settle down in the big Yankee city more permanently. It begins:
"Sunset in my mirror, pedal on the floor
Bound for New York City and I won't be back no more
Won't be back no more, boys, won't see me around
Goodbye guitar town."
The opening pays homage to Earle's great career, including his first big hit, "Guitar Town" and the line 'bound for New York City' recalls a song from 1997's "El Corazon" called "NYC". Those are two of my favourite Earle songs of all time, and while "Tennessee Blues" isn't at that level, it is a good song, and a nice relaxed book-end to Earle's life of rambling.
The album goes on to praise NYC, including "Down Here Below" which introduces listeners to "Pale Male", Central Park's famous red-tailed hawk, and a song celebrating New York's diversity, "City of Immigrants".
"Washington Square Serenade" is a relaxed album, and listening to it I got the impression that Earle is in a pretty good place right now emotionally. He is happily married to the talented (and foxy) singer-songwriter Alison Moorer, who tours with him, and he just seems content. This is expressed in a love song near the end of the record, cowritten and sung in harmony with Moorer, called "Days Aren't Long Enough", which is a pretty - if not particularly memorable - lullaby. The other lovesong, "Sparkle and Shine" it comes across a little too sugary, and overly cute.
The laid back tone comes across in the music as well, which is relaxed and well-paced. The songs are as well-constructed as ever, and although some lack emotional urgency, that's not what they're going for anyway. My only criticism would be on some tracks where the use of fade out feels like a cheap way to end the song, when what is really needed is a bit more effort for a lyrical wrap-up.
Later on in the record, Earle does get his angry on a little. It seems a little out of place by the time it happens, but the songs are undeniably good. The union anthem "Steve's Hammer (For Pete)" is in honour of protest singer Pete Seeger, and awesome whatever your politics.
In "Oxycontin Blues", Earle explores the horrors of addiction to Oxycontin. As a recovering drug addict himself, Earle knows of what he speaks, and the desperate emptiness of the song's character comes across in all-too-believable fashion:
"Got a dollar bill in my pocket
Got a half a tank in my truck
I'm gonna go and pawn Grandma's locket
Hell, maybe it'll change my luck."
Earle is still the master of a few short lines, with a couple of details, evoking a much larger picture in your mind.
The last song was a nice surprise - a remake of Tom Waits' "Way Down In the Hole" which is excellent. I used to think Johnny Cash was the best at taking someone's song and making it his own, but the more remakes I hear from Earle, the more I've got to say he is number one. I've got a record of Earle remakes of various artists, but more on that when I roll it.
A minor quibble I must mention before ending - the lyrics are published in the booklet (which I like) but they are neither punctuated nor capitalized correctly - even the album's title has no punctuation. I don't know where artists started to think this was OK - like it was somehow 'non-elitist' or something, but it is simply stupid. There are songwriters out there looking up to you, so get it right, Steve.
"Washington Square Serenade" isn't where you should start with Steve Earle, but it is Steve Earle, and so by definition, worth your time if your looking for something newer of his to try out.
Best tracks: Tennessee Blues, Down Here Below, Oxycontin Blues, Red Is the Colour, Steve's Hammer, Way Down In the Hole
Disc 226 is...Washington Square Serenade
Artist: Steve EarleYear of Release: 2007
What’s Up With The Cover?: It is a piece of artwork by a guy named Tony Fitzpatrick. It is typical of Fitzpatrick's stuff, with lots of different images, busily connected together. I'm not really a fan of this stuff, which is too bad, since Earle has been using him for cover art dating all the way back to the "I Feel Alright" album in 1996 (which I reviewed back at Disc 14, before I had a "What's With the Cover?" category).
How I Came To Know It: It was a new release from Steve Earle in 2007, so there wasn't really any internal discussion. I bought it when it came out, because I frickin' love Steve Earle.
How It Stacks Up: I have fourteen studio albums by Steve Earle. "Washington Square Serenade" isn't one of my favourites, but it holds its own, and a lesser Earle album is still better than most artist's best efforts. I'll say it is 11th.
Rating: 3 stars.
"Washington Square Serenade" is Earle's last studio album of original music (2009's "Townes" is a more recent album, but that is all remakes of Townes Van Zandt songs - reviewed way back at Disc 28).
As the title implies, "Washington Square Serenade" is focused a lot on Earle' newest love, the city of New York. I love New York as well, so I don't get tired of albums praising it, even though there are many.
The opening track, "Tennessee Blues" is a song situated Earle as a traveller leaving the south behind to settle down in the big Yankee city more permanently. It begins:
"Sunset in my mirror, pedal on the floor
Bound for New York City and I won't be back no more
Won't be back no more, boys, won't see me around
Goodbye guitar town."
The opening pays homage to Earle's great career, including his first big hit, "Guitar Town" and the line 'bound for New York City' recalls a song from 1997's "El Corazon" called "NYC". Those are two of my favourite Earle songs of all time, and while "Tennessee Blues" isn't at that level, it is a good song, and a nice relaxed book-end to Earle's life of rambling.
The album goes on to praise NYC, including "Down Here Below" which introduces listeners to "Pale Male", Central Park's famous red-tailed hawk, and a song celebrating New York's diversity, "City of Immigrants".
"Washington Square Serenade" is a relaxed album, and listening to it I got the impression that Earle is in a pretty good place right now emotionally. He is happily married to the talented (and foxy) singer-songwriter Alison Moorer, who tours with him, and he just seems content. This is expressed in a love song near the end of the record, cowritten and sung in harmony with Moorer, called "Days Aren't Long Enough", which is a pretty - if not particularly memorable - lullaby. The other lovesong, "Sparkle and Shine" it comes across a little too sugary, and overly cute.
The laid back tone comes across in the music as well, which is relaxed and well-paced. The songs are as well-constructed as ever, and although some lack emotional urgency, that's not what they're going for anyway. My only criticism would be on some tracks where the use of fade out feels like a cheap way to end the song, when what is really needed is a bit more effort for a lyrical wrap-up.
Later on in the record, Earle does get his angry on a little. It seems a little out of place by the time it happens, but the songs are undeniably good. The union anthem "Steve's Hammer (For Pete)" is in honour of protest singer Pete Seeger, and awesome whatever your politics.
In "Oxycontin Blues", Earle explores the horrors of addiction to Oxycontin. As a recovering drug addict himself, Earle knows of what he speaks, and the desperate emptiness of the song's character comes across in all-too-believable fashion:
"Got a dollar bill in my pocket
Got a half a tank in my truck
I'm gonna go and pawn Grandma's locket
Hell, maybe it'll change my luck."
Earle is still the master of a few short lines, with a couple of details, evoking a much larger picture in your mind.
The last song was a nice surprise - a remake of Tom Waits' "Way Down In the Hole" which is excellent. I used to think Johnny Cash was the best at taking someone's song and making it his own, but the more remakes I hear from Earle, the more I've got to say he is number one. I've got a record of Earle remakes of various artists, but more on that when I roll it.
A minor quibble I must mention before ending - the lyrics are published in the booklet (which I like) but they are neither punctuated nor capitalized correctly - even the album's title has no punctuation. I don't know where artists started to think this was OK - like it was somehow 'non-elitist' or something, but it is simply stupid. There are songwriters out there looking up to you, so get it right, Steve.
"Washington Square Serenade" isn't where you should start with Steve Earle, but it is Steve Earle, and so by definition, worth your time if your looking for something newer of his to try out.
Best tracks: Tennessee Blues, Down Here Below, Oxycontin Blues, Red Is the Colour, Steve's Hammer, Way Down In the Hole
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