The Revolution Starts...Now

Steve Earle

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Original Release Date: August 24, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Artemis Records
• ASIN: B0002IQHV6
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,155 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Earle rushed The Revolution Starts ... Now to stores ahead of the 2004 presidential election, and given that timing and the songwriter's righteous lefty stance, the disc's topical content should surprise exactly no one. Even still, it's light on invective, allowing Earle's deftly drawn characters to make his points for him. Plainspoken people swept up by larger events, they include the truck-driving protagonist of rig-rocker "Home to Houston," who dodges rockets while running supplies in Iraq, the disaffected vet in "The Gringo's Tale," and the American soldiers and Palestinian boys whose lives run parallel in "Rich Man's War." At times, Earle is less artful, and the going gets patchy: the title cut is a guitars-blazing call to arms, but "Warrior" (a ponderous spoken-word piece that apes Shakespeare), "F the CC" (a ragged denunciation of culture cops), and "Condi, Condi" (a faux-reggae mash note to Condoleezza Rice) don't hold up as well. Interestingly, the less-pointed material finds the cantankerous crusader at his best, as on the aching Emmylou Harris duet "Comin' Around," a late-night barroom blues called "I Thought You Should Know," and the hopeful closer "The Seeker." There, Earle slips in one last, subtle message: "There's a new day tomorrow and maybe I'll hold, something brighter than gold to a seeker." --Anders Smith Lindall

About the Artist
Singer and songwriter, Steve Earle was born in Virginia, raised in Texas, and has resided in Nashville for over 25 years. His 2002 critically acclaimed album JERUSALEM, garnered him his 8th Grammy nomination. 2001 marked the release of Doghouse Roses, his first collection of short stories. In the fall of 2002 the Broadaxe Theatre (the not-for-profit theatre company he co-founded in Nashville), debuted his first play entitled Karla, about Karla Faye Tucker, the first woman executed in Texas since the Civil War. Earle recently appeared in the award-winning Off-Broadway play, The Exonerated.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gritty Rough & Tough, August 24, 2004

By	[e-mail] (santa barbara, ca) - See all my reviews

As a previous reviewer (and Steve himself) have said, this album was rushed a bit. Which is not to say it does not have its share of fantastic Steve Earle tunes. It does, and the first 5 songs are all 5 star Earle songs, with great political importance, some classic Earle style, and the spoken word pleasant surprise of Warrior. Warrior is Steve speaking pure gritty poetry with some rocking guitar in the background. A great tune. Rich Man's War is true to the times, and I'd put it up there with his last tunes of John Walker's Blues and Jerusalem, and even though it has names of places, it'll probably ring true for a long while, much like Talking Heads' "Listening Wind". Condi, Condi is the odd-ball tune out of all of them. Amusing, but sorta off a bit. F the CC has good lyrics, but the delivery seemed a bit lacking to me. The rest, however is quite amazing. But those two ones are the reason for the ****/*****, but I'd probably give it closer to a 4 1/2 stars.

I've been a fan of Steve Earle since I was 10, so 9 years now. I've yet to be disappointed. Steve is without a doubt one of the best song writers of our time.

I also feel that while yes, there is a political bias on this album, it is strong, honest, and sincere.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It Depends....., August 24, 2004

By	G. A. Piva (Peabody, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an important record, no matter which side you are on. It is unfortante that this country is so split down the middle, as most will be on this record. When it comes down to it, these are just flat out good songs. They happen to have a message attached, which in not a bad thing. Steve Earle is a true American, and i feel as he does, that we all need to work together to make this country work. The last three songs are amazing, "Comin' Around", "I Thought You Should Know", and "The Seeker".
The revolution does start now, indeed.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Is it good? Is it important? It's Steve Earle, August 25, 2004

By	Tore Skogseth (Greenville, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So let's start with the obvious: This is a political album. Whether one likes it or not may be heavily influenced by political stance - although there is no guarantee that you'll like it even if you're on the left side of politics. I happen to be on the same side of the fence as Steve Earle, so I don't mind the politics in it - but more important is the fact that I believe that anyone with a conviction has a right to find his/her own soapbox and blurt it all out. Steve Earle's soapbox happens to be a recording deal and a solid fanbase, and kudos to the man for running the risk of further alienation of part of his fanbase (read the reviews of Jerusalem here on Amazon if you're in doubt as to what I mean).

One thing worth noticing, though, is that he once again tries to present both sides of the story. In Rich Man's War, probably my favorite track off the album, he presents the war from both sides - although only from the people who fight it - and not the ones instigating it. I personally find his storytelling skills to grow even further on this album, and while noone would doubt his political agenda, I still don't get the feeling that he is force feeding us his beliefs.

Now - on to the record itself. It's been playing in my car a couple of times, and while I like it, it is not a great Steve Earle album. Most of the songs are written based on the formula he seems to have employed on the last couple of album - most noteworthy are the simularities to Jerusalem as far as song structure goes - but it is all signature Steve Earle, and, to paraphrase another reviewer here, it beats most of the crap released these days, whether it is in the rock or country sections. There are a couple of exceptions - most notably Condi, Condi - which is his ode to Condoleezza Rice, a song that screams of lust and fun and joy of life.

All in all this is a solid album. It's not Steve Earle's best, but it might just be his most important.