Music Blog

There are two commonly known things about Justin Townes Earle.

First, the man can write a song.  If you took one thing away from his two-hour set at Mississippi Studios on Sunday night, it was probably that he has built an expansive catalgoue that includes one strong tune after another. His third studio album, Harlem River Blues, was not only his best record to date, but also one of the better releases of 2010. Like his live show, the record effortlessly glides across genres, synthesizing old-time Watson Family country, Lightnin Hopkins blues, and graceful (and hereditary) Townes Van Zandt phrasing into something that feels, for the most part, contemporary.

The second thing are his forays into darkness. He has a well-documented history of lapsing into patterns of substance abuse. For better or worse, when you listen to and unpack his music, this context is sitting right there, staring you in the eyes. That is, to me at least, the signs and tangible remnants of his struggle are omnipresent in his music.

The man stands well over six feet tall and his angular suits outline a frame so skinny that you can't help thinking it's not all genetic. It's an embodiment of a few central themes in his songs - the endeavor to find harmony in a life with inherited family baggage and the idea of being his own man. He's also intoxicatingly charming. A personality feature he revs up on stage that makes listening to his desolate songs an oddly cozy experience.

"Mama's Eyes", one of his simplest songs is also one of his most revealing. It begins with the admission, "I am my father's son, I've never known when to shut up". As the son of the talented, often incapciated, songwriter Steve Earle, he's saying what we already might have guessed. At Mississippi Studios, Justin Townes Earle prefaced a song by quoting his father as saying he , "...was a hard dog to keep under the porch." It's only possble to speculate to a point about such things, but it's probably not a strech to guess that growing up as Steve Earle's son had certain implications.

In the song's last verse, he sings: "I've got my mama's eyes, her long thin frame and her smile. And I still see wrong from right cause I've got my mama's eyes." The mirroring of these simple words over the same melody that started the song is rapturous. The message is so clear and the melody beautiful. This song came in the middle of the set and it hit right. 

Performing Sunday evening with a trio - featuring some of the most tasteful fiddle playing you'll ever hear along with stand-up bass and rich vocal harmonies - Townes Earle appeared completely at ease with every note, every line of banter, and every on-stage movement. The set also acheived a smoothe balance between the barnstormers and slow-dances. It almost felt too perfect. For me though this only elevated Earle's intrigue. A man that has experienced so many extremes packaged so well is an amazing sight.

Without the help of the trio, Townes Earle performed a new song from his next record. In the chorus he repeated the words, "it won't be the last time", leaving, as usual, just enough to the imagination. When the band returned they nailed Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Streets", as if they knew my New Jersey-raised friend and I were in the audience (sometimes it feels that way!).

His narrative isn't one of redemption. Not yet and, perhaps, not ever. Even though he's clean now, he readily admits on stage and in interviews that he could easily relapse. As sick as it might sound, that's a big part of what makes Justin Townes Earle such a vital presence in the contemporary music scene. No one knows what will happen next. He's already written a ton of great songs and his story is only getting started.

Tagged: live review