Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses): The Low Highway
Steve Earle & The Dukes (& Duchesses)
The Low Highway
(New West Records)
Steve Earleās rangy vocal and solo percussive acoustic starts the first track, āThe Low Highway,ā on his album of the same name. Then things get nice and rough with an electric drive on āCalico County.ā The drums pop, the bass rolls and the lyrics are nasty-fast (about meth actually) and there is just the right amount of tight echo and nasty lead. Wow, what a great tune! Thereās softness to āBurnin It Down,ā at least to the music – Earleās lyrics never really give you an easy pass. This is territory Springsteen tries with his too-often country twang, but never reaches.
For me, itās when Earle and his band are rangy and electric, like on “Calico,” and also with Earle singing a duet with his wife, Alison Moorer, and Eleanor Whitmoreās violin playing on the biting āThat All You Got?ā or in the piano-led, loose snare drum rush of āPocket Full Of Rainā (another great tune with a truly unique production).
Whatās really great here is that with each of these 12 tunes, you get a nice, slightly different take/production style/vibe on each, but they all feel like they connect somehow.
āInvisibleā sees the full realization of that alternative country label that Earle has been saddled with from his rebel beginnings to his 15th album. Itās a great tune, the height of expert songwriting; just another great song from this collection that sounds as much Jennings as Pearl Jam.
If youāre into solid songwriting and a blistering, tight band, then you’ve got to get your ears down on The Low Highway.