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First time I've heard Steve Earle. I wish I had heard him earlier. All I have to say is from the first cut to the last, I liked it all. Some simple clean catchy tunes and others more complex and deep. Excellent. I'll have to check out some of his other work.
Will this be Steve Earle's over-looked forgotten masterpiece.It took me a while but I finally got on to Washington Square Serenade.This is top notch Steve Earle like none before. a must have.I wanted it to be soo good when it came out then was turned off by Satellite Radioand City Of Immigrants, both of which were heavily played on the radio.Take out those 2 songs and you have a perfect album.Some have said WSS comes off as Steve talking or rambling through songs rantingand raving about more Steve Earle complaints. This is not the case.WSS is full of acoustic serenades about life, women and love.The facts are I have become VERY fond of WSS.I think it is going to take over the #1 spot.The beginning notes of Tennessee Blues immediately grab you and is a previewof the rest of the cd.minus Immigrants and satellite radio songs.I can't get enough of Down Here Below, Sparkle and Shine, Down in the Hole.It's a national treasure to have this type of music marked as "American Made".If you are into driving acoustic finger-picked ballads that rock - look no further.Steve Earle has miraculously come out with what is essentially a masterpiece.Maybe even his best yet. Which doesn't seem feasible to accomplish such a feat.Real musicians "age like wine" and Steve Earle is a "real" musician.In time - - It only gets better.Highly Recommended for ALL Ages
This is a great Steve Earl album. If you like his work, you will love this one.
"City of Immigrants" and "Steve's Hammer" are the worst offenders--simplistic feel-good drivel in the vein of "We Are the World" and "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream."There's a lot of name-dropping about New York sites and characters (Pale Male, Joseph Mitchell), which makes Earle sound like a star-struck tourist. The lows: (I'm still trying to get a grasp on how many kinds of sad irony are going on here).The simplest part of my disappointment is that the songwriting is just not up to par.
I'm sorry. The more I listen to this, the more it irritates me.
I'm not sure New York, which I suspect might be one of the most overrated cities in the world, is doing good things for him, though, musically.The highs: "Jericho Road," "Sparkle and Shine," and "Oxycontin Blues" (which reminds me a little of "Copperhead Road"), which have nothing specifically to do with New York and are most like Earle's earlier material. I tried.Okay, so Steve is giving Nashville the finger.
I get it. While I don't always agree with him, I've always had a lot of respect for Earle as a lyricist, and he just didn't hack it this time.
The whole project feels like a lame, self-absorbed, sell-out.
Not all Steve Earle fans will appreciate this record. While they represent a different direction than his earlier work, they easily hold their own. Like most great artists, Earle is constantly in motion, and there is a tendency for the listener to wish for him to stay put in some of the brilliant places he has occupied in the past. It does not work that way.I have the advantage of having seen Earle do a number of these tunes live earlier in the year. Earle continues to grow as an artist and in this era of corporate schlock that passes for music, we are fortunate to have to opportunity to go along for the ride. Approach this album with an open mind and you will be well rewarded.
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