Song of the Day
Notable Albums of 2009
Notable Album of 2009- Townes by Steve Earle
Maria/To Live Is To Fly- Steve Earle Today's song of the day is a twofer and the two songs are tracks 14 and 15 on Steve Earle's magnificent tribute album to his fellow songwriter and best friend, the late great Townes Van Zandt. From my perspective Townes' musical legacy is second only to that of Dylan's body of work.
I fell in love with Townes' music upon first hearing it on the album
Delta Mama Blues way back in the late 70s. It takes awhile to fall under the spell of Townes' poetics because his words hang so well with his music. There isn't a single awkward polysyllabic word that rubs up against the tempo of the song because all of Townes lyrics are haunting and evocative yet so elegantly simple. The lyrics always fit the music like a glove.
Towne's plantive tenor was very different from Steve Earle's rough hewn voice and the better version of each song is a matter of taste. Since Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle are my two favorite country music artists,
Townes is sort of a dream album for me. I only wish that Steve and Townes had done more work together when Townes was still alive and kicking.