This review was slightly delayed,
partly due to my busy social calendar, but also because it was a newly purchased
album. This meant that I had to give it multiple listens before I was confident
I had grokked it in its fullness.
Disc 802 is….Midnight at the Movies
Artist: Justin
Townes Earle
Year of Release: 2009
What’s up with the Cover? Justin’s at the movies,
apparently with really hot girl who is only kind of interested in him. It makes
sense when you hear the song. Her name’s Martha, by the way.
How I Came To Know It: I’ve known Justin Townes Earle’s
been making music for a while, but I am always leery of sons or daughters of
famous musicians (his father is Steve Earle). When I read good things about his
latest album, “Absent Fathers” I decided to give him a shot. I loved that
record and have been drilling backward through his work ever since. “Midnight
at the Movies” is the most recent purchase in that journey.
How It Stacks Up: I have four Justin Townes Earle albums and I
really like all of them. That said, I must put one last and “Midnight at the
Movies” is it.
Ratings: 3 stars but almost 4
Although “Midnight at the Movies” is only the second
album released by Justin Townes Earle, it already demonstrates a maturity that
many artists fail to ever achieve.
I expect that part of this being exposed to music at
an early age (he may not like his father, but being the son of a famous
singer-songwriter has at least this one perk). However, it is also clear that
the younger Earle is a student of the early forms of country and folk music in
his own right.
This is clear on the record, which has an old-timey
feel that will have you wondering if some of the songs are covers of old
standards. Not so however, as every song but one is written by Justin Townes
Earle. That one is a great cover of a 1987 Replacements song (“Can’t Hardly Wait”). It just seems like
the songs are old as dirt because Earle has such a strong understanding of his
own musical tradition.
“They Killed
John Henry” could have appeared seamlessly in period movies like “O Brother
Where Art Thou” and “What I Mean To You”
feels like an old fifties country song. These songs appeal to me slightly less,
but I’m glad they are on the album to show Earle’s range.
Having just listened to a bunch of Dwight Yoakam
songs, I also hear those urban cowboy influences in Earle’s music giving it a
twang and an edge as well.
I like Earle best when he is at his most
contemporary. The title track is gorgeously structured song that is both
forlorn and romantic at the same time. Earle knows the number one lesson of
writing, which is to focus on the specific. The whole song is a portrait of the
lonely people you’ll meet at the late late show, artfully delivered in less
than three and a half minutes. The romance that does exist is hesitant and
fleeting, with the love interest (the aforementioned Martha) keeping her
emotional distance:
"She never says too much,
she just sits down beside me and puts her hand in mine.
She's got a gentle way that keeps
me from feeling so alone.
She always shows up late and
leaves before the credits roll.
And I never watch her
leave."
The late late show is the place people go to be
alone together, and Earle makes it clear that anything too intimate would break
the mood the patrons are there to experience:
This is early in Justin Townes Earle’s career and he
isn’t quite as depressing as he gets on later records. That said, he still
finds time to tell some sad tales, including a song about infidelity (“Someday I’ll Be Forgiven For This”) and
the heartbreaking tale of a downtrodden street prostitute (“Black Eyed Suzy”).
Every one of the Justin Townes Earle albums I’ve
heard seems to have at least one song where he explores his rotten relationship
with his dad. This relationship often inspires J.T.’s best work, and “Midnight
at the Movies” is no exception with “Mama’s
Eyes.”
What makes “Mama’s
Eyes” so compelling is the honest way Earle admits that as much as he doesn’t
like his father, they are in many ways alike:
“I am my father's son
I've never known when to shut up
I ain't fooling no one
I am my father's son
We don't see eye to eye
And I'll be the first to admit
I've never tried
And sure it hurts, but it should
hurt sometimes
We don't see eye to eye”
For all those admissions, Earle ends the song
leaving no doubt where his familial loyalties lie:
“I've got my mama's eyes
Her long thin frame and her smile
And I still see wrong from right
Cause I've got my mama's eyes”
Earle knows how to write for his voice, which is
strong and bluesy. The musicians he’s pulled together are excellent and the
song arrangements let them show off just the right amount without letting the
songs stray too far. The album has 12 songs but it is all over in 32 minutes,
leaving you wanting more.
If you like your country music thoughtful, edged
with sorrow and aware of its roots then there is a good chance you are going to
like this album, and most other Justin Townes Earle offerings as well.
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