Steve Earle Album: “El Corazon”

Steve Earle is an amazing artist with at least half a dozen five-star releases to his name. Deciding which one to review was a tough choice. I picked El Corazón because it demonstrates the breadth of Earle's talent better than any other.

Earle has an almost encyclopedic grasp of American musical idioms. El Corazón covers the full breadth of this talent, ranging from the folk of 'Christmas in Washington', the rock of 'N.Y.C.', the bluegrass of 'I Still Carry You Around', the roots-country of 'The Other Side of Town' (a song which could easily pass as a Hank Williams cover), to the beautiful singer-songwriter styling of 'Ft. Worth Blues'.

As if the musical talent weren't enough, Steve Earle is one of the finest song writers in the business. Even if you don't agree with the leftist political sentiments he slips into many of his songs (or shovels, in the case of 'Christmas in Washington'), you'll find a depth and intelligence in Earle's lyrics that will surprise you, coming as it does from someone professing to be just a country boy.

Buy this CD and listen with an open mind. Pretty soon you'll be back for more.

Back when this album was released, I remember falling immediately under its spell. Years later and... it's only grown stronger. It may well be Steve's finest hour--that's a tough call, granted, and one that on another day, in another mood, I might quibble with myself. But here he covers all of the bases: acoustic-folk, heavy-duty rock 'n' roll, message music, story songs and ... forget it. Why explain the unexplainable? Just plug this sucker into the CD player and crank it: Buttressed by Emmylou Harris' haunting harmonies and Steve's own gritty delivery, the thud-thick, Crazy Horse-like chords of "Taneytown" will leave you on the floor. Same with "If You Fall": killer chords, killer vocals, killer lyrics .... followed by the birth of something grand: "I Still Carry You Around," the inspiration for Steve's collaboration with The Del McCoury Band, The Mountain. Another highlight is "Poison Lovers," a duet with Siobhan Kennedy that's just plain intoxicating--if you're like me, you'll be hitting the "repeat" button ad infinitum. And then, of course, there's Steve's incisive tribute to the late Townes Van Zandt, "Ft. Worth Blues." In short, rock 'n' roll, country, where ever the hell you classify Steve, music doesn't get any better than this.

Steve Earle may be an acquired taste for some, in that he hardly has a classic singer's voice, and he makes no effort to sand down the rough edges of that voice or of his music in general. But then, Dylan never did either. What I hear on "El Corazon" is an original musical viewpoint and top-notch writing skills.

Anyone who tries to shoehorn Earle into a country-singer corner has never listened to this album. Oh, he pays plenty of attention to his country roots, as in "I Still Carry You Around," and "The Other Side of Town." But then he hits you with two powerful and superbly delivered rockers, the menacing "Taneytown" (with great backing vocals from Emmylou Harris) and "NYC," complete with fuzz-tone guitar and distorted vocals.

Earle also displays a keen eye for the life of the common man and delivers his observations without a hint of condescension, as on "Telephone Road" ("workin' all day for the Texaco check/sun beatin' down on the back of my neck"). It's a terrific song, with its sharp eye for details and knack for capturing the rhythms of everday speech in song.

And if that's all not enough, there's poignancy and expressions of loneliness, truthfully delivered ("Somewhere Out There", "Poison Lovers," "Fort Worth Blues"), humor ("You Know the Rest") and of course, politics ("Christmas in Washington").

By now you get the idea: it's an album of surprises, a mix of musical styles that reveals Earle's musical mastery, not confusion. It's a welcome counter to the all too often programmed sounds of today and a reminder that Earle is among a group of fine musicians who are the real practitioners of country/roots music, not the packaged performers dominating the airwaves today.

I have listened to El Corazon so many times that I may have to go back for a second copy. I just don't tire of it because there is such a diverse mixture of styles, sounds, and ideas captured here. It is one of my all time favorite albums, but I am not sure that I can explain why that is true. I think it may be that Steve Earle just captured a feeling through words, sounds, and emotion that draws you into the story he is telling. "Somewhere Out There" just grabbed me, and "Poison Lovers" is another one about a couple who are bad for each other. Only Steve Earle could make "Telephone Road" sound like a place you would like to see and "Taneytown" a place you would never want to visit. Great Album.

As the years progress Steve Earle's talent becomes more refined. If you enjoy the style Tom Petty changed his music to in the 90's I'm sure you'll find reason to enjoy this album.However, I must agree with David Watts on his view of "Christmas in Washington". The song simply does not fit. It's almost as if someone slipped it in after the album's completion or mabye Mr. Earle simply insisted on it for some special reason. Whatever the case, it should have been at the end of the set ,if included at all.The rest of the line up is quite good, showing obvious country/bluegrass influences coupled with rock for an overall excellent album.High points are "Here I Am", "Taneytown", and "Telephone Road" , the culmination of it all sealed with the moving "Ft. Worth Blues". Worth buying.