There was a time in the late 80s when Steve Earle was the touted as the ‘savior’ of country music. He didn’t ride a horse, he drove a ‘big block Dodge’. His ten-gallon hat was a sweaty bandana. Earle was everything the stereotypical, mainstream country singer wasn’t. However, his rough around the edges, do-it-yourself, angst ridden, modern day Neil Young meets Mike Patton character wasn’t a generic ploy to convince the general audience that country music could be cool, it was just Steve Earle. He didn’t need a gimmick to sell records and he didn’t need to prove anything.
This ‘Devil may care’ attitude was the shot in the arm the country scene needed. In a time when even the most popular hard rock bands looked more like cocktail waitresses than rock Gods, there was no one else on the scene that seemed like an actual person doing what he enjoyed. Think of Earle as sort of like the country cousin of Bruce Springsteen with a mean streak, and an insatiable thirst for blood, sweat, and moonshine (not always in that order).
Now at the better part of 60 years old, trying to appeal to teenagers and fans of Taylor Swift or Luke Brian would be equal parts embarrassing and insulting, Steve Earle STILL doesn’t answer to anyone in the industry. He continues to make the music he enjoys playing and hearing. For his 16th album Terraplane Earle continues that tradition by offering up a slew of tasty, blues flavored country tunes that defines what his entire career has always been about.
Terraplane’s opening track “Baby Baby Baby (Baby)” is so cliché yet so interesting, it’s hard not to be hypnotized by the plodding blues riff played over and over while Earle slurs generic (yet provocative) lines like a creepy drunk uncle that smells like Winstons and Budweiser. The first three songs are basically a showcase for what the rest of the album has to offer, from bluegrass standards like “Aint Nobody’s Daddy Now” to my personal favorite track on the record, the sultry, smokey “King of The Blues”. There is nothing remotely out of the box on this album, in fact, it might be one of the most muted record Earle has done in ten years. There’s not much in way of political undertones and lyrically it’s kept simple just as the blues should be, which brings me to my one and only problem with this record: Where’s the angst!? Even after recently getting yet another divorce, none of these songs reflect any legitimate heartache or anger. Songwriters always peak in creativity when being faced with trial, and Earle is no exception (check out his post-9/11 albums Jerusalem or The Revolution Starts Now) I love me some traditional blues, don’t get me wrong, but I would love to hear him snarl about being broken hearted too! Even with all of it’s cliché standards, there is a certain honesty to each song that keeps things from being stale and cold.
All in all, Terraplane is a fantastic album from start to finish. It might not be as ‘angry lefty’ as Steve Earle’s mid 2000s albums, heartfelt as his Townes record, or as mainstream accessible as his late 80s releases, but it’s still a pleasure to listen to. If you haven’t had a chance to check out Steve Earle’s impressive catalogue of multi-Grammy winning, genre hopping, foot stomping, fist clutching rock-meets-country, attitude soaked records. Terraplane might be a fine place to start!
Rating: 4.5/5