Earle’s tribute to songwriting mentor is compelling and fitting.
Stripped down, simple, real. The late Townes Van Zandt knew that a great song, like a beautiful woman, captures the essence of creation when standing naked. Steve Earle honours this spirit with the 15 Van Zandt songs he covers on Townes.
While Earle hung out with Van Zandt when he first arrived in Austin in the mid-1970s, he couldn’t have pulled off this album back then. It took 30 years of writing, drugs, recovery and what he has labelled as survivor guilt to be able to tackle his mentor’s tunes by letting them breathe.
Stripped down, simple, real and compelling. For Townes, Earle got this one right.
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