View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (370 ratings)
- Date Released: March 3, 2009
- Genre: Country/Folk
- Style: Alt-Country
- Label: Bloodshot Records
Earle lives up to his namesake with a record as luxurious as a glass of porch-brewed sweet tea
-
We Say...
Most country music that's not pop-polished or staunchly traditional gets slotted into the much-reviled "alt-" ghetto, but Justin Townes Earle (son of Steve Earle, and named after Townes Van Zandt) makes modern country music that defies categorization. Heavily influenced by his Nashville forefathers — Buck Owens, Hank Williams, Chet Atkins — and by folksingers like Bruce Springsteen and Woody Guthrie, Earle is an effortless vocalist, and his third album, Midnight at the Movies, is as soft and luxurious as a glass of porch-brewed sweet tea.
Earle has relocated to New York City from Tennessee, but the most visceral – and enticing – part of Midnight at the Movies is its gentle southern pacing: Even "What I Mean to You," with its prancing piano and lonesome steel guitar, feels preternaturally effortless. In "Mama's Eyes," Earle croons and chokes (his vocals can be eerily similar to Ryan Adams' — especially on "Can't Hardly Wait" — although they lack Adams' acidity and desperation), directly addressing his lineage: "I am my father's son / I've never known when to shut up." Lyrically, Earle spits a charming mix of self-skewering barbs (he spent most of his adolescence strung out on heroin), and vivid details; like all good country singers, Earle is a storyteller above all else, and Midnight at the Movies is deliciously specific. -
They Say...
"I am my father's son/ I've never known when to shut up/I ain't foolin' no one/I am my father's son." These words lead off the fourth song on Justin Townes Earle's second album, Midnight at the Movies, and given that many people still know him as the son of iconic singer/songwriter Steve Earle, it's a brave and startling statement. But at the same time, much like his 2008 debut The Good Life, Earle's second album works because he seems determined not be his father's son; the tone and the feel of this music owes precious little to the family line, and Earle sounds appreciably more relaxed, confident, and in control here than he did on his fine debut. Earle's music has one toe tangled in hillbilly tradition on the folk ballad pastiche "They Killed John Henry," the uptempo string band number "Black Eyed Suzy," and the honky tonk swing of "Poor Fool," but he can write about love and life with a clear and unaffected eye that's effortlessly timeless. The title song is a musical snapshot that gets its Nighthawks details just right, "Someday I'll Be Forgiven for This" and "Here We Go Again" are painfully intimate examinations of what can happen between people who care for each other, and while "Poor Fool" and "Walk Out" sound jaunty, they have a weight behind them that's telling. And while Earle doesn't sound like a guy who should be covering the Replacements, his version of "Can't Hardly Wait" finds a sweet heartache at the core that Paul Westerberg was afraid to show in his recording. Midnight at the Movies plays more like a subtle step forward for Justin Townes Earle than a quantum leap, but if the The Good Life suggested he was a talent to watch, this record confirms that he's a new writer to be reckoned with who doesn't need to trade on his family name.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Midnight at the Movies |
3:22 |
|
| 02. | |
What I Mean to You |
2:57 |
|
| 03. | |
They Killed John Henry |
2:46 |
|
| 04. | |
Mama's Eyes |
2:18 |
|
| 05. |
Dirty Rag |
0:34 |
|
|
| 06. | |
Can't Hardly Wait |
2:48 |
|
| 07. | |
Black Eyed Suzy |
2:19 |
|
| 08. | |
Poor Fool |
2:59 |
|
| 09. | |
Halfway to Jackson |
3:28 |
|
| 10. | |
Someday I'll Be Forgiven for This |
3:00 |
|
| 11. | |
Walk Out |
2:06 |
|
| 12. | |
Here We Go Again |
4:04 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 32:41 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Justin Townes Earle, check out these member playlists
Credits
- Jim DeMain - Mastering // R.S. Field - Producer // Richard McLaurin - Mixing // Pete Finney - Dobro // Pete Finney - Guitar (Steel) // Bryan Owings - Drums // Steve Poulton - Producer // Steve Poulton - Vibraphone // Skylar Wilson - Organ // Skylar Wilson - Piano // Skylar Wilson - Vibraphone // Skylar Wilson - Bandleader // Skylar Wilson - Wurlitzer // Adam Bednarik - Engineer // Joshua Black Wilkins - Artwork // Joshua Black Wilkins - Design // Joshua Black Wilkins - Photography // Justin Townes Earle - Guitar (Acoustic) // Justin Townes Earle - Vocals // Justin Townes Earle - Resonator // Cory Younts - Banjo // Cory Younts - Harmonica // Cory Younts - Mandolin // Cory Younts - Piano // Cory Younts - Whistle (Human) // Cory Younts - Harmony Vocals
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2009 All Media Guide, LLC