Bloodshot

At first, Justin Townes Earle had the walk and talk of a rounder, hopped up on hillbilly and blues of a preelectric era. Each album since – as he’s dabbled in an ever-widening swath of roots flavors and exhibited a restless musical intelligence – the second-generation songwriter has leaned more on his unflinching confessional impulses. His fourth full-length is all exposed nerves with a light-handed Memphis soul treatment. Earle’s writing, and especially his voice, have never sounded quite as ravaged as they do during “Am I That Lonely Tonight?,” “Won’t Be the Last Time” and the title track. Even the songs with women’s names in the titles are anything but romanticized. This blend of realism and resignation doesn’t go down easy; it’s the stuff that a lasting body of work is made of.