New Steve Earle - "I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive"...

Take it from one who has long respected Steve Earle but has never really been a lover of his records - this one is his best record, ever.



I picked this up in a slow week. Didn't want to leave the record store empty handed. Wouldn't have bought it otherwise. When that happens, either I get something that turns out to be a stone classic and a huge surprise, or I get bitten by a piece of dog crap and feel guilty knowing that I knew it was a waste of money when I bought it.



Happily, this one is a huge surprise. I can honestly say it is a transformative experience listening to this.



I won't spoil it for you talking too much about the music. It's sort of a country album, but not the Randy Travis or (substitute any generic conservative countrified nutjob you prefer) any other such country pop artist. It's traditional in a way, but so was Coltrane in 1967. So is Hans Werner Henze, at his core. It's also very forward looking and of today. Just get it. It's great.



Here, we also have a dedicated vinyl mastering that has been plainly done to optimize sonics. It was clearly intended as a true analog vinyl master, and it sounds like it. No hi-fi sound effects - just a warm, vibrant, dynamic, tonally faithful sound on a pretty decent pressing, for which I paid a princely $17.



I consider this a master statement, both artistically and sonically. It gets 5 doobies on both counts. It's a must, regardless of genre. It transcends genre. I strongly recommend it and would be surprised if it does not reveal itself to you as much as it did to me.