Drug Addiction Tennessee: The Top 5 Post Drug-Addiction Steve Earle Albums and Why

Steve Earle is one of those rare examples of humanity, like Ozzy Ozbourne or Shane Macgowan, who somehow manage not only to survive serious drug and alcohol addiction, but to create great music along the way. Like the others, Steve paid the price for his issues, and he has frequently expressed his belief that the only reason he’s still alive is because he’s supposed to be. When I saw him at a recent performance in Vancouver, he said that, unlike in the old days, “he does his homework” and he wasn’t lying. Since getting clean in 1993, he’s released 13 albums, written a book of short stories and a novel, and made numerous appearances acting in film and TV. There’s no such thing as a bad Steve Earle Album, but here’s my top 5 from 1995 to present.

5. Townes – 2009

This ode to “The Maestro” Townes Van Zandt is a true labour of love. The 15 songs feature guests as diverse as Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) and even a duet with Steve’s son, a fine singer/songwriter in his own right, Justine Townes Earle. All the classic Van Zandt songs are found here, with highlights being “Poncho and Lefty,” “Loretta,” and “Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold.” For those who (like me) purchased the deluxe edition, there is a companion album called “Townes Basic” which, for me, is the reason this album makes the top 5. As the “Basic” in the title suggests, it’s just Earle and his guitar performing Townes’s songs as they appear on the produced album sans production. He toured the album as a solo act and it really is the best way to hear Van Zandt songs. A beautiful tribute.

4. The Mountain (with the Del McCoury Band) – 1999

I’m a big bluegrass fan, but I realize the genre can be less accessible than some other kinds of music. When Steve made this album, his goal was to create a “timeless bluegrass classic” and he took a very traditional approach to the production. Although they’ve since had a terrible falling out, the Del McCoury Band and Earle sound as tight as any bluegrass get-up I’ve ever heard, replete with the rough edge we’ve come to expect from any Twangtrust production. All the songs are great, including the title track, which has become something of a classic judging by all the artists that have covered it (Notable: Levon Helm on Dirt Farmer), but for me, “Dixieland” is worth the price of admission alone. The civil war ballad of “Kilrain from the county Clare” is one of my all time favorite songs.

3. I Feel Alright – 1995

This album was Steve’s announcement that he’s “been through hell and now [he’s] back again.” Starting with the hard-rocking title track, this album picks up speed with the folk-rock gem “Hard-Core Troubadour”. Regret, Loss, and Pain permeate through the album, yet there’s a light ray of optimism in the record too, as Earle realizes he’s been given a second (more like 20th) chance to get it together. The haunting “CCKMP” and country-blues “South Nashville Blues” are portraits of drug-addiction painted by someone who knows what he’s talking about, but the album ends with “You’re Still Standing There.” The song shows he realizes that he’s used up all his chances and has to make good on everything this time. A life changer.

2. Washington Square Serenade – 2007

After a 3 year album break, during which the Earles packed up and moved to New York, this album showed up as an announcement of how Steve’s albums were going to sound production-wise from here on in. The truly personal “Tennessee Blues” is Steve’s touching goodbye to the “Guitar Town” where he grew up as an artist and imploded as a human being. Although the song is driven with finger-picked guitar, it features a DJ (the whole album does in fact) mixing beats behind it and, for me, the experiment really works. Earle’s (incredible and gorgeous) wife, Allison Moorer lends her vocal talents to the album and it adds an even more personal touch. Other highlights are “City of Immigrants” and the haunting “Oxycontin Blues,” a ballad of a “hillbilly heroin” addict in the throes of the new drug. A Tom Waits cover is a nice way to finish the record as well.

1. I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive – 2011

Yes, the latest album is the best album this time! Although I haven’t read the accompanying novel of the same title (yet) the album shows poise, grit, and eloquence as only a country-boy facing old age and mortality can do it. The album SOUNDS awesome (if you listen hard, you can hear a needle scratching vinyl behind every song on the album-that’s attention to detail!) and the songwriting backs up the excellent production. “Waitin’ on the Sky” is the kind of song you can play anywhere and everyone will respond; “The Gulf of Mexico” is a ballad of the recent oil-spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico; “Little Emperor” is a funny jab at George W.; “Molly-O” is just weird, but in a good way; and “God is God” is Steve Earle at his poetic and melodic best. And that’s just half the album. Buy it! Listen to it! Listen to it again!

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