Steve Earle - Copperhed Road

When I was still early in my teens, my Uncle Greg gave me an old collection of tapes. One of those was a mixed tape that contained AC/DC, Nazareth, one or two other artists I can't recall at the moment, and Steve Earle.

I later came to understand that he is classified as a country artist, and I can see that. I had no clue based on the songs on the mixed tape. Now, not to say I think poorly of country music, even though I don't care for it, it's too simple of an explantion for this album.

There's Blues, Honky Tonk, Rock, Grass Roots, Folk and Country music all mixed into this album. It's like Jerry Lee Lewis' fire meets Elvis' swagger meets Mid West Rock musical sensibility.

The album opens with the title track. A great backroads rockabilly chaser, about runnin' moonshine, and the oppressively destructive nature it brings. It's like listening to Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, if they had the lyrical content of Johny Cash.

Snake Oil's a good little number too. Nothing special and a bit of a filler, but it's a great tune all the same.

Back To The Wall has a bit of groove and I can easily picture people at the country fair getting their dance moves on to this one. Even with it's rebelious nature. One of the songs on that mixed tape I mentioned earlier was The Devil's Right Hand. You're typical man and his gun kind of song, however I like it. It's a very Johnny Cash country type song, but it's good and catchy. Before I owned this album I would have described it as very John Mellancamp.

This is where the album gets a bit run of the mill country. Johnny Come Lately is your standard song played by those good ole' country boys. Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure others would enjoy it.

Even When I'm Blue is a bit fun and upbeat, but you could still slow dance to it. It's a bit romantic, and down home sweet.

I can't stress enough how much of a midwest type sound is on this album. Not even entirely mid west. I hear Seger, Mellancamp, Springsteen, and a little Bon Jovi even. You Belong To Me keeps up that sound as well. It's a bit biker sounding in ways too.

Waiting For You sounds like something out of an 80's John Hugh film. The end number, with the big hook up that freeze frames, then fades to black as the credits roll. It's not 80's pop shit, but more like Peter Gabriel meets Bob Dylan channeling Fine Young Cannibals. In fact it's very out of place on this album, but in a good way.

Once You Love is country crap. A big cow paddy stinking up an otherwise decent album. I have no use for this song at all, even when it tries to get all heavy and serious. I'm sure it's some girls pillow crying song.

The album finishes with Nothing But A Child. Christian Country telling the story of the Three Wise Men discovering that the new Prince of Men was nothng but a child. Once again it's a song that I'm sure many people would and do like, but it's not my cup of tea.

For the most part I could do without most of this album. I'd only be willing to put four, maybe five, songs on my Mp3 player. Out of those I'd probably skip three of them regularly. It's not that this is a bad album, it's just not my cup of tea.

7/10 - content

7/10 - production

4/10 - personal bias