Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade

The sound of a country maverick bidding goodbye to Nashville.

In retrospect, it's remarkable that Steve Earle lasted in Nashville as long as he did. “Tennessee Blues,” the leadoff track here, is a bittersweet farewell to the city he called home for three decades, despite being at odds with its musical and political mores. That was part of the draw: Earle's outlaw persona had a fitting foil in Nashville, against which he stood out as a rebel. Eventually, though, the climate was bound to become stifling, and so it's no surprise that his recent marriage to fellow left-of-center country singer Allison Moorer also involved their relocating to New York City. Earle has been drifting away from country turf for awhile now; he sounds at home here on cosmopolitan tracks such as “City Of Immigrants” and “Down Here Below.”

The topical “Satellite Radio” and “Oxycontin Blues” seem likely to become dated; more timeless is the melodic pop appeal of “Sparkle and Shine” and “Days Aren't Long Enough” (the latter with exquisite harmony by Moorer), both of which resemble classic mid-period Beatles tunes. The closing cover of Tom Waits' “Way Down in the Hole” seems unnecessary; while its subject matter fits Earle's persona, ultimately there's greater revelation in the album's original material.