New West

Even as those long chin whiskers turn a deeper shade of gray, don’t assume that Steve Earle is mellowing. Sure, the title track is a slow and dark country waltz, and the closer, “Remember Me,” is a sad lament, but in between this release is everything that makes Earle one of the premier country/folk songwriters, rivaling mentors Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. Earle finds light in dark places with introspective wisdom and calling, his gravelly to dry voice laying out the scene as his band – including his wife Allison Moorer – builds country melodies that shift from whispers to dance-floor shuffles to thunderous roars. There’s the rollicking “Calico County” and the honky-tonk boot stomper “That All You Got?” “Pocket Full of Rain” is a country rocker, while “Warren
Hellman’s Banjo” romps Civil War-era style and “Down the Road Pt. II” exposes his bluegrass side. Earle just missed a Grammy with his last album – he probably won’t this time.