#482

Impressions:  Modern country isn’t exactly my bag, but over the years I’ve grown to appreciate older country stars like Johnny Cash & Patsy Cline, and so-called alt-country artists like Uncle Tupelo, but the sheen of modern Nashville country still bores me. I guess lots of these newer country stars just seem to me like they are doing lame arena rock dressed up with a “country” packaging. Steve Earle seems a little more earnest than these 10 gallon hat wearing pretenders, but we’ll see if this album wins me over. Here we go…Hmm, “Guitar Town” seems like a decent enough mid-tempo twangy cut, although I think sometimes Earle’s country singing-inflections don’t always hit my ears the right way. Probably years of urban ridicule in tv, comedy, and movies have possibly ruined country music for me. Earle’s got a mix of swagger, smarts, and skill that is impressive, in songs like “My Old Friend The Blues,” and the Elvis-ian throwback “Think It Over.” Overall,  a solid, polished platter of country/rock, occasionally affecting but the uninspired production softened the blow (never more evident in the the cheeseball lullaby “Little Rock ‘N’ Roller.”) Lyrically he’s a solid songwriter–who knows, maybe I’d like country a little more if it was in this vein– but the band never seems to elevate to anything but “capable.”