Doing something similar on Marillion in the prog subforum, thought I'd introduce you all to one of my favourite country/rock crossover artistes.
Despite being born in the Red State, Steve Earle is not a flag-waving, patriotic, rightwing, my-country-wrong-or-right-God-bless-America sort of figure. For someone with one foot planted firmly in the Country music genre, his lyrics are often very political and he is sharply critical of much the government does and says. But he's not a rapid Republican, foaming at Obama, nor is he a wishy-washy Democrat, booing Bush. He's an equal opportunities sort of guy. If he thinks something the current administration does is wrong he'll say it, but he has plenty to say about the other side too. He's most vehemently against the death penalty, having written two songs condemning it, the wonderfully uplifting "Over yonder" and the stark "Billy Austin". He's also written books, starred in an episode of "The Wire" (and covered the theme song for one of the seasons) and is involved in many worthy charities.
But before you go thinking he's a saint, check yourself there. Steve has been in trouble. He's been jailed for firearms offences and has battled with substance abuse. Much of this comes through in his writing, and what he doesn't write himself is covers of songs by his heroes, like Townes Van Zandt and Rodney Crowell; he's not someone who has other songwriters pen his tunes. So what you hear of his that isn't a cover comes directly from the big man's heart. Speaking of that heart, it must be pretty damn big (as must his wallet; all those allimony payments!) as he's been married no less than seven times, twice to the same girl. Fearless, indeed!
Steve's career began in the world of rockabilly, and this sound kind of comes through in his debut album, released in 1986, the first of, so far, fourteen studio albums, not including one which is dedicated to his role model Townes Van Zandt and consists only of covers of the man's songs. His debut album was already nominated for two Grammys and went to the top of the Country Billboard charts, but Earle would later cross over into the mainstream contemporary one.
Guitar Town (1986) produced by Emory Gordy Jr and Tony Brown on the MCA label
One of the few albums on which Earle co-wrote with others, this practice would almost completely disappear by the time he released his fourth album, "The hard way", and no doubt as his confidence as an artiste grew.
1. Guitar town (2:33) --- With a very rockabilly/country jamboree sound, this is a song about a man who longs to make it big. He's travelling with his band and trying to hit the big time so he can come back and take his girl away. Nothing terribly original but it does set down a marker from a man who would fairly quickly break into the big leagues in the Country scene, and later manage something of a crossover to the mainstream. As expected the song is driven on uptempo guitar, with Steve sounding at his Countrified best; this would be before he would develop what is now his distinctive growling drawl.
2. Goodbye's all we got left (3:16) --- The second song written solo by Earle, it's another uptempo song but with a fatalistic message that would reverberate down through his catalogue, prompted no doubt in part by the breakup of six successive marriages. When he sings the hook line in the chorus "Talkin' won't do us no good anyway, goodbye is all we've got left to say" it's clear that this relationship --- real or imagined --- has hit the skids. It's not a bitter song but one of accepting the inevitable, and moving on. He says "I don't think it's gonna get any better, maybe you should just write me a letter and I can open it up when I'm stronger --- couple hundred years, maybe longer."
3. Hillbilly highway (3:36) --- The first song on which Earle collaborates, in this case with Jimbeau Hinson, best known for his work with The Oak Ridge Boys, it's the most Country on the album (well with a name like that it would be, wouldn't it?) and like much of Earle's (ahem) earlier material focusses on the need to escape from Nowhereville USA and make it out into the wider world. He reflects on his lineage --- "Poppa left town when I was quite young" --- and intends on following in his father's footsteps, determined not to waste away in the middle of nowhere. It's yet another uptempo track, almost bouncy thanks to some nice slap bass played by Richard Bennett, who in fact co-writes the next track with him.
4. Good ol' boy (Gettin' tough) (3:58) --- Earle's first real stab at a politically-motivated song, and an indication of where his views lay on the state of America, and still do to an extent. When he sings "I was born in the land of plenty, now there ain't enough" he's singing from the heart, and the juxtapositioning of the overtly redneck patriotic title with the subject matter is quite inspired. The title in fact says two separate things, and he qualifies that when he snaps "Nowadays it just don't pay to be a good ol' boy!" It's the first really rock track on the album, setting the scene for later work by the man as he broke a little away from the Country mould, though he never totally left it behind.
5. My old friend the blues (3:07) --- And this is his first shot at a blues song. Well not really: it's
very laidback, sit-on-the-porch-with-a-shotgun Country, with much steel pedal guitar and mandolin, the first slow track and another solo effort from him. There's nothing terribly original or unique in the lyric, but it's nice to note as the first ballad we get from Steve.
6. Someday (3:46) --- Another solo effort, and another song about breaking out of his hometown, it's again quite rock but with a healthy slice of Country. Some cool piano from Ken Moore and more pedal steel as Earle sings "I wonder what's over that rainbow? I'm gonna get out of here someday."
7. Think it over (2:13) --- Here he hooks up again with Bennett, but at this point I feel the album starts to slide a little into mediocrity. This is an uptempo, very Country song, ok I suppose but nothign special. It's another my-woman-done-left-me type of thing, and while it's catchy and singable, it's also short and a little forgettable.
8. Fearless heart (4:04) --- A slight upsurge in quality for another solo effort, with powerful guitar and a passionate vocal from Steve. I believe this may have led to, or been written for, the Fearless Heart Foundation, which I think is something to do with sick children, but since I read that years ago I have never been able to find anything about it on the web. Good powerful rock song, gets you right there.
9. Little rock'n'roller (4:49) --- Cheesy, maudlin ballad with a long-distance truck driver phoning his son to talk to him before the kid goes to bed. Lots of pedal steel, a drawly vocal and really gets on my nerves, plus the fadeout end on sprinkly keyboard is just annoying. Steve can't blame anyone else for this, he wrote it himself.
10. Down the road (2:37) --- Starting and ending with an acapella vocal from Steve, this song just showcases how strong his voice is. After the opening vocal it gets going into a nice uptempo country song, driven on bouncy piano and then at the end it finishes on the same opening line, slightly truncated. Steve collaborated with two people on this, Tony Brown and also Hinson again.
Not an album to set the charts alight to be sure, but a good debut and on his second album Earle would begin to develop a style more suited to, and recognised by, the rock fraternity as he tentatively put one foot over the Country fence and liked what he saw there.