Steve Earle – 2015 blues album, ‘Terraplane’.

Another new discovery.

Now I’ve always liked Steve Earle. I loved the ‘Copperhead Road’ album (particularly ‘Johnny come lately’ with the Pogues). He seemed to be the rougher, grittier edge of what I understood as country music. Steve Earle also made a decent fist of trad Irish music by writing ‘Galway Girl’. Lots of people think it’s an old song but it was actually penned by Earle when he was living in Ireland and working with Irish musicians.

But this new ‘Blues’ album is a different thing altogether.

There is an obvious clue in the title ‘Terraplane’. Reference to the old Robert Johnson song ‘Terraplane Blues’, in fact “ol’ Bob Johnson” gets a name check on the album.

Earle is obviously a believer of the concept that to sing the blues you’ve got to know the blues. Wrapped into the lyrical content of the album it’s easy to discover regrets, hard times, relationships broken, which is a pretty close reflection of what Steve Earle has been through in these last few years.

There are some sparkling tracks on this album; the pace changes constantly; it’s not all gloom and doom and certainly not all traditional 12 bar. ‘The Tennessee Kid’ is a spooky hard hitting epic growl retelling the Crossroads legend using the language of an earlier age. ‘Go Go Boots Are Back’ is a foot tapping rocker with a meaty guitar solo. ‘Ain’t Nobody’s Daddy Now’ is a freedom anthem.

The album is also a showcase for his musicians, ‘The Dukes’, some really impressive stuff going on with this band.