Steve Earle - 'Townes'

Townes Bottom Line:

Townes Van Zandt died in 1997, taking with him a legacy of intricate, well-crafted music and a name that resonated through alt-country and Americana and folk, but somehow never quite broke through to the mainstream, despite having a few notable songs sung by major artists. One of his buddies was the equally legendary but more cantankerous Steve Earle, who has at last set down his own pen and put out an album of his friend's music.

Steve Earle's musical tribute to his mentor and friend

The life story of Townes Van Zandt is a sad, frustrating one, filled with drug and alcohol abuse, lost loves and lost friendships, and simple human tragedy. Throughout his early life, he wrote songs, some of them straightforward folksy-blues with a country flavor, most of them sublime. He had a way with a tune and a lyrical skill that was often blunted by alcohol, eventually destroyed by same, but he still turned out dozens of songs that stand up to one important test: they are often recorded by other songwriters.

Steve Earle has an impressive catalog of his own, stretching back over three decades, from the light-hearted straight-up country of Guitar Town all the way through the darkly bitter and controversial John Walker's Blues. But Townes was not only his friend, he was a musical mentor and the influence Van Zandt had on Earle is profound, stemming from his early teens when he first heard the name. Earle salutes this complex relationship of mentor and friend with performances that are richly understated, sometimes dark, and always richly compelling. Performing Van Zandt's music seems a departure for the rugged, in-your-face Earle. His gritty, gravelly voice takes on Van Zandt's gentle, quiet language with surprising tenderness.

Townes - The Songs:

Earle begins with the most well-known of Van Zandt's songs, "Pancho and Lefty," which topped the country charts performed by two other songwriting greats, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. Earle's performance is understated, yet powerful, drawing out the evocative emotion of the piece with just his own guitar and light percussion backing him, very much like Townes' own version.

Each track plays with both Van Zandt's original folksy sound and new qualities Earle has infused in them; the overall production of this disc is reminiscent of an earlier time. I haven't heard stereo as a medium used with this much effectiveness in decades, where the loss of one speaker will lessen the whole, beautiful layers of sound requiring every last scrap of the listener's attention as well as his sound system. Listening to "To Live Is To Fly" on earphones, I can hear percussion in one ear, heartbreaking cello in the other, together with delicate guitar, the growling of Earle's voice and Allison Moorer's sweet harmonies like a vocal waterfall, weaving it all into a breathless, glorious whole. It's also available in that most beautiful of recording mediums, the vinyl LP, which will really capture the intricate production of the songs.

Release Date: May 12, 2009 - Label: New West Records

Townes Track List:

1. "Pancho and Lefty"
2. "White Freightliner Blues"
3. "Colorado Girl"
4. "Where I Lead Me"
5. "Lungs"
6. "No Place To Fall"
7. "Loretta"
8. "Brand New Companion"
9. "Rake"
10. "Delta Momma Blues"
11. "Marie"
12. "Don t Take It Too Bad"
13. "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold"
14. "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria"
15. "To Live Is To Fly"