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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Days of honky tonkin', March 24, 2002
It was back in mid 80's when a foot stompin' toe tappin, guitar twangy rock-a-billy tune sung by a a scruffy looking kid with unkempt hair popped up. The rebellious image was a far cry from the pretty boy hat-acts invading country music.
His sound is nasal southern rock with twangy guitar toe tappin'. I liked the twang of the guitar that made him stand out from mainstream country on television. And later he disappeared, and reports surfaced about him serving jail time for drug charges.
The closest I can come up to a similar style is that of Dwight Yoakam and maybe John Brannen (someone you need to hear). Earle has been called a country rockin' Springsteen. He has amassed an impressive songwriting collection. He writes of the hard life, beer drinkin, jail, truckin, the road, heartaches, and down to earth style of life.
A compilation of hits, my sentimental favorite is "Guitar Town" and "I Ain't Never Satisfied."
"Someday" is about a man within the confines of a small town, and who is not quite taking the plunge to leave. Mosts songs are written by Steve Earle, Others: "The Devil's Right Hand, and I love the ballad "Goodbye is All There is Left to Say".
For a man who has lived a hard life, married six times, coke addict, and time in jail, he can sing about it all! If you don't quite know Steve Earle, buy this CD, it has a taste of what he is about.....He is between rock and country!
For video collection try the excellent 20th Century Masters - The DVD Collection: The Best of Steve Earle. And you may just like John Brannen
....Rizzo
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Road music, December 5, 2001
I keep this album in my truck, always. It's the one I play when I don't yet know how I'm feeling. After listening to "The Essential Steve Earle" It's always easier to figure things out.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Introduction, November 22, 2003
Having grown-up preferring rock to country, I'm often drawn to those artists who fall in that "not really rock/not pure country" category. For me, Steve Earle is one of those artists. His personal life has seen him delve dangerously into the excesses which befall many artists (country and rock) - going way out on many ledges and managing to pull himself back in from the brink of disaster or even death. While his lifestyle may seem extreme and be painful for fans to watch, there's no doubt that it's yeilded some excellent songs. His ability to tell a story and make you care about the characters in these songs is comparable to Bruce Springsteen or the late Johnny Cash.This collection is culled from Earle's first three albums ("Guitar Town", "Exit 0", and "Copperhead Road") plus a couple of tracks he contributed to the "Planes, Tranes, and Automibiles" soundtrack. All of the important tracks from those first three albums are here, including "Copperhead Road", Earle's first real crossover to rock radio. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to become aquainted with Earle's work without buying all of his albums. This particular collection is now out of print, but the recently released "20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection" is nearly identical to this one. While he may be too country for some rock fans and too rock and roll for those who only like country, if you appreciate finely crafted songwritting, you'll enjoy this album.
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