Customer Reviews

El Corazon

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For what it's worth, I think this is one of the greatest CDs ever made. I'm not a Steve Earle scholar, in fact I only own a few of his albums, but this one easily fits into my top ten ever.

There's not a clunker here. Ft. Worth Blues is beautiful, Telephone Road will make you want to go have a beer with friends, and NYC is one of most chill bump-inducing songs I've ever heard. This is the perfect blend of rock, country, and folk.

I'll put it this way: I've got a friend whose favorite artist is Prince. Another's is Rage Against the Machine, and another basically listens to pop music. They all agree that this is one of the best they've ever heard.

This is "real" music by a "real" person, and in my opinion, it doesn't get much better.

Steve Earle is an amazing artist with at least half a dozen five-star releases to his name. Deciding which one to review was a tough choice. I picked El Corazón because it demonstrates the breadth of Earle's talent better than any other.

Earle has an almost encyclopedic grasp of American musical idioms. El Corazón covers the full breadth of this talent, ranging from the folk of 'Christmas in Washington', the rock of 'N.Y.C.', the bluegrass of 'I Still Carry You Around', the roots-country of 'The Other Side of Town' (a song which could easily pass as a Hank Williams cover), to the beautiful singer-songwriter styling of 'Ft. Worth Blues'.

As if the musical talent weren't enough, Steve Earle is one of the finest song writers in the business. Even if you don't agree with the leftist political sentiments he slips into many of his songs (or shovels, in the case of 'Christmas in Washington'), you'll find a depth and intelligence in Earle's lyrics that will surprise you, coming as it does from someone professing to be just a country boy.

Buy this CD and listen with an open mind. Pretty soon you'll be back for more.

Steve Earle got out of prison and drug rehab, and returned in1996 with a brilliant comeback album I Feel Alright. I thought nothing could approach the greatness of that album, but Earle has released another stellar effort in El Corazon. I Feel Alright was a versatile record, but El Corazon is Earle's most diverse work yet. The album opens and closes with folk ballads, Christmas in Washington and Fort Worth Blues. In between , Steve varies from pure rock(NYC,If You Fall),to bluegrass(I Still Carry You Around), to bluesy swing(Telephone Road), and country(The Other Side of Town). Also included is a beautiful duet called Poison Lovers. It's hard to describe this song, other than to say it's artistically creative enough that it's hard to imagine anyone sitting down and writing it. If you love pure music and aren't interested in pigeonholing, you will thoroughly enjoy this incredibly talented musician's work. To say Earle is a gifted singer-songwriter is a massive understatement. This edgy record whets the appetite for what Steve will create in the 21st century and beyond.

Back when this album was released, I remember falling immediately under its spell. Years later and... it's only grown stronger. It may well be Steve's finest hour--that's a tough call, granted, and one that on another day, in another mood, I might quibble with myself. But here he covers all of the bases: acoustic-folk, heavy-duty rock 'n' roll, message music, story songs and ... forget it. Why explain the unexplainable? Just plug this sucker into the CD player and crank it: Buttressed by Emmylou Harris' haunting harmonies and Steve's own gritty delivery, the thud-thick, Crazy Horse-like chords of "Taneytown" will leave you on the floor. Same with "If You Fall": killer chords, killer vocals, killer lyrics .... followed by the birth of something grand: "I Still Carry You Around," the inspiration for Steve's collaboration with The Del McCoury Band, The Mountain. Another highlight is "Poison Lovers," a duet with Siobhan Kennedy that's just plain intoxicating--if you're like me, you'll be hitting the "repeat" button ad infinitum. And then, of course, there's Steve's incisive tribute to the late Townes Van Zandt, "Ft. Worth Blues." In short, rock 'n' roll, country, where ever the hell you classify Steve, music doesn't get any better than this.

Steve Earle may be an acquired taste for some, in that he hardly has a classic singer's voice, and he makes no effort to sand down the rough edges of that voice or of his music in general. But then, Dylan never did either. What I hear on "El Corazon" is an original musical viewpoint and top-notch writing skills.

Anyone who tries to shoehorn Earle into a country-singer corner has never listened to this album. Oh, he pays plenty of attention to his country roots, as in "I Still Carry You Around," and "The Other Side of Town." But then he hits you with two powerful and superbly delivered rockers, the menacing "Taneytown" (with great backing vocals from Emmylou Harris) and "NYC," complete with fuzz-tone guitar and distorted vocals.

Earle also displays a keen eye for the life of the common man and delivers his observations without a hint of condescension, as on "Telephone Road" ("workin' all day for the Texaco check/sun beatin' down on the back of my neck"). It's a terrific song, with its sharp eye for details and knack for capturing the rhythms of everday speech in song.

And if that's all not enough, there's poignancy and expressions of loneliness, truthfully delivered ("Somewhere Out There", "Poison Lovers," "Fort Worth Blues"), humor ("You Know the Rest") and of course, politics ("Christmas in Washington").

By now you get the idea: it's an album of surprises, a mix of musical styles that reveals Earle's musical mastery, not confusion. It's a welcome counter to the all too often programmed sounds of today and a reminder that Earle is among a group of fine musicians who are the real practitioners of country/roots music, not the packaged performers dominating the airwaves today.

Steve Earle's fall from grace has been well documented, as was his recovery. I was working as a writer in Nashville when the stories about Earle begging for change outside of clubs were circulating. As the artist behind one of my favorite CD's of all time, "Copperhead Road," it disturbed me that a talent of this magnitude had dropped down so far.

"El Corazon" is the CD that changed that for good. Having gotten the past out of his system on "Train a'Coming" and "I Feel Alright," "El Corazon" finds him at a peak of songwriting, rediscovering his voice and reclaiming country from the world of hat acts. He brings in the Fairfield Four to channel Elvis Presley on "Telephone Road." Emmylou Harris drops in for vocals on "Taneytown." There's some near bluegrass on "The Other Side Of Town." And to top it off, Earle revisits his days as a musical bad boy by bringing in SubPop artists The Supersuckers to grunge up "NYC."

Earle also regains his social voice here. On the songs "Christmas In Washington," "Taneytown" and "Ft Worth Blues," Earle begins the turn into politics that would boil over into controversy once "Jerusalem" and "The Revolution Starts Now" were ultimately released. "Ft Worth Blues" is an eulogy to Towns Van Zandt, and a beautiful closer to the CD. It is, however, on "Christmas In Washington" that Earle measures up to Van Zandt's best work, as well as Woody Guthrie, the song's obvious inspiration. Decrying a nation's capitol where the Democrats sat frozen with fear after the Impeachment hearings were tossed and the Republicans began to overtly plot their revenge, Earle asks why no-one else seems to notice...or for that matter, care. It is such a potent song that even Joan Baez has covered it.

Although some here on Amazon have claimed "Christmas In Washington" is a weak song to lead "El Corazon," I respectfully disagree. It sets the voice of the CD into a troubadour mode, with "Ft Worth Blues" paying the perfect tribute at the end. In between, the stylistic mix shows that Steve Earle had overcome his long odds and recovered his rightful place as a singer and songwriter among the long lost country outlaws. A reminder that the Nashville establishment gave up on authenticity decades ago, "El Corazon" is music with a real heart.

this was my intro to Steve Earle and I keep going back to it.
it took me about 2 years to finally listen to Steve, but it has been the best thing to happen musically in a very long time.
I am very glad I did not pass his music by...
the truth is I can't say enough good things about this guy.
I want to go out and tell everyone I know that Steve Earle is one of the greatest singer/songwriters of today. the consistency is amazing - the overall flow of his albums are years ahead of any one hit wonder. I appreciate good music and great lyrics - this is where I get off......
you need this album!

essential Steve for me
1. El Corazon
2. Transcendental Blues
3. Train a'Comin
4. Revolution Starts Now
5. The Mountain
6. I feel Alright

you really need all 6 essential picks!

give your life purpose
support great music
buy Steve Earle cd's

I have listened to El Corazon so many times that I may have to go back for a second copy. I just don't tire of it because there is such a diverse mixture of styles, sounds, and ideas captured here. It is one of my all time favorite albums, but I am not sure that I can explain why that is true. I think it may be that Steve Earle just captured a feeling through words, sounds, and emotion that draws you into the story he is telling. "Somewhere Out There" just grabbed me, and "Poison Lovers" is another one about a couple who are bad for each other. Only Steve Earle could make "Telephone Road" sound like a place you would like to see and "Taneytown" a place you would never want to visit. Great Album.

After "Train a Comin'" and "I Feel Alright", who knew what lay in store. With, "El Corazon", Earle didn't just release the second best album of his career ("Trancsendental Blues" holds that title) but he broke some serious new ground here by covering everything from country to bluegrass to grunge-rock to blues to folk. Who would've ever thought that his best stuff would've ever come out after what people thought was his prime. Remember, after all this guy has been through, he should have been dead twenty years ago.

I encourage any and everyone to pick up this album. If you've never heard him before, GREAT, this is a perfect place to start. "El Corazon" is sheer perfection from a guy who has seen and done it all. Oh, you may want to disregard what one reviewer said about "Christmas in Washington" being a weak song. It may have a very minimalist feel (that was the intention) but the message is ANYTHING but weak. Just listen to the words and I think that you'll agree. Just wait till you hear "Taneytown"...

As the years progress Steve Earle's talent becomes more refined. If you enjoy the style Tom Petty changed his music to in the 90's I'm sure you'll find reason to enjoy this album.However, I must agree with David Watts on his view of "Christmas in Washington". The song simply does not fit. It's almost as if someone slipped it in after the album's completion or mabye Mr. Earle simply insisted on it for some special reason. Whatever the case, it should have been at the end of the set ,if included at all.The rest of the line up is quite good, showing obvious country/bluegrass influences coupled with rock for an overall excellent album.High points are "Here I Am", "Taneytown", and "Telephone Road" , the culmination of it all sealed with the moving "Ft. Worth Blues". Worth buying.