9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not God, but man, August 26, 2000
I have a friend named Steve Barker who usec to listen to all this really cheesey music like Englebert Humperdinck and then country music like Marty Stuart. He played Steve Earle for me and it struck a chord in me. I don't think Steve Earle is God. I think that is always an absurd comment towards someone who writes songs and plays rock and roll. What I appreciate about Steve Earle is that he writes about a side of humanity that I don't live. He writes about irresponsibility, about separation by choice, about the rambles of a man who searches but never seems to find. Steve Earle's tribulations are well known and rather unimportant to mention . With his many great albums behind him, it is important to remember Guitar Town, a terrific piece filled with a variety of styles and the kernal of all the things Earle still seems to represent. I don't know why I felt like writing this today, but perhaps that is a good leaving off place. Steve Earle seems to be always questioning why. and with Guitar Town, the questioning has never been more succinctly stated or as catchily written.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the most endearing and moving records ever made, November 9, 2000
After an indie EP release and an aborted recording career at Epic (some of which saw the light on "The Early Years" after "Guitar Town" established itself as a hit), producer Tony Brown convinced MCA to pick Earle up, and the result is perhaps one of the greatest singer-songwriter country-rock LPs ever recorded.
Earle's early mentoring by Townes Van Zandt and Jerry Jeff Walker informs the brilliance with which his lyrics describe a character's emotion and turmoil from the inside, while the burgeoning neo-traditional Country (Travis, Yokam) and blue-collar rock (Springsteen, Mellancamp) give his music its kick.
Ten originals, nearly every one a classic in its own way. Even the trifles (e.g., "Little Rock 'n' Roller") add to the album's overall feeling of characters in need of release - emotional and physical. His tales range from kids stuck in small towns nurturing their big dreams (bringing to mind Brian Wilson's "I Get Around" and the movie "Footloose"!) to broken hearts that have nothing more to cozy up to than their own sadness. It's rare to find a writer who so transparently translates his emotions into words, and a songwriter who so transparently translates his words into music.
Recorded in Nashville with Tony Brown's guidance, Earle's LP debut is his most consistent and potent release to date.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, honest music, February 18, 1999
By A Customer
Steve Earle's "Guitar Town" is an album that speaks to anyone who grew up in small town America. Whether it be the breaking free notions of "Someday" or just the upbeat flare of "Think it Over", this album has something for anyone with country/rockabilly leanings.
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