Washington Square Serenade

Product Details

Artist : Steve Earle
Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0607396612826
Label : Universal Music Group
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 2007-09-25
UPC : 607396612826

ASIN : B000UC1Q9C

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Tennessee Blues
2. Down Here Below
3. Satellite Radio
4. City of Immigrants - Steve Earle, Forro in the Dark
5. Sparkle and Shine
6. Come Home to Me
7. Jericho Road
8. Oxycontin Blues
9. Red Is the Color
10. Steve's Hammer (For Pete)
11. Days Aren't Long Enough - Steve Earle, Allison Moorer
12. Way Down in the Hole

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Editorial Reviews

From Amazon.com

The title and opening songs of Washington Square Serenade are as much a celebration of New York City--Steve Earle's newly adopted home--as his breakthrough Guitar Town was an evocation of his previous home in Nashville. In fact, the opening "Tennessee Blues," with its acoustic guitar over a digital rhythm loop, bids "goodbye to Guitar Town," as he leaves with "a redhead by my side." That would be wife Allison Moorer, who harmonizes beautifully with her husband on "Days Aren't Long Enough," written by the two; provides background vocals elsewhere; and plainly inspires "Sparkle and Shine" and the bittersweet "Come Home to Me," two of the album's loveliest songs. The result is a new chapter in Earle's career, an album unlike any he's previously recorded, produced by John King of the Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys). While the raw, raging blues of "Red Is the Color" ranks with Earle's most powerful music, "Satellite Radio" could well be the slightest (as well as perhaps a plug for Earle's own radio show), but the artist's willingness to take chances attests to a restless creativity that refuses to be corralled. Other noteworthy tracks include the Brazilian-tinged "City of Immigrants," the tribute to Pete Seeger on "Steve's Hammer," and the closing rendition of Tom Waits's "Down in the Hole," which will serve as the theme music for Season 5 of The Wire. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews

Welcome Back Steve (2008-06-05)

While I have always appreciated Steve Earle's talent and his fearlessness in exploring several genres, or at least sub-genres, of music over the course of his career, at times he has veered into either corny, or at least unlistenable material (i.e. - "hot" drumbeats and other computer assistance, or endless political tirades that detract from his music). Not this time.While yes, the politics are there ("Steve's Hammer"), they are not overbearing, and while there are departues from the norm ("Down Here Below"), they are well-taken. Much of the other tracks are akin to bedrock - "Tennessee Blues" is simply a great track, bolstered by flashback references to "Guitar Town". "Jericho Road" makes a guy angry in a good way, and "Oxycontin Blues" makes depravity somehow appealing.In the early days, a Steve Earle album was a sure thing (and by "early", I even mean "Transcendental Blues" which was so dang good....I degress) but lately, I have been giving his albums a 2 day spin and throwing them into the I-Pod abyss. This one is different. I bought it on its release and it still makes regular appearances in my rotation. Pick it up.

STEVE EARLE - "Washington Square Serenade" (2008-03-16)

There's little doubt that when a lot of people hear the name Steve Earle it's in the context of being a blast from the past, highlighted by memories of "Guitar Town" and "Copperhead Road" and even though those songs are over 20 years old, Steve has been fairly prolific since those days, releasing 7 studio albums as well as live and greatest hit collections. That's where this disc enters the picture; it's his eighth studio album and fans will not be disappointed. "Tennessee Blues", "Jericho Road" and "Red Is The Color" are familiar territory for Steve and are great songs. Standout tracks are "Steve's Hammer" with its alternative country rawness and passion and "Way Down In The Hole" is a bluesy, gritty, driving number with a syncopated clapping beat. Steve's better half, Allison Moorer, performs a duet with hubby on "Days Aren't Long Enough" which walks a musical path similar to the one Blue Rodeo treads. Allison has a rootsy, wholesome and unpretentious voice that accentuates a song like this. The Brazilian group Forro In The Dark makes a guest appearance on "City of Immigrants" and I would encourage everyone to check out the video on YouTube. It's a great song that has minor hints of The Pogues and The Clash in it. Steve must be doing something right, at the recent Grammy Awards this album won in the Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album category; he won the same award in 2004 for his CD "The Revolution Starts...Now". It's hard to succinctly define Steve Earle's music; titles such as "alternative country" and "folk-rock" are often used; yet they really don't do him justice. Suffice it to say that every CD he releases captures the uniqueness of that moment and that every album is a joy to listen to.

Fidèle en lui-même (2007-10-30)

Earles est sans doute le meilleur auteur de chansons et compositeur de musique dans la catégorie country-rock, mieux dans la catégorie rock tout court. Il est et restera toujours fidèle en ses convictions personnelles. Musicalement génial. Son oeuvre mérite une écoute attentive par les mordus du rock tout catégorie.

Not His Best, But Well Worth Having (2007-09-11)

Steve Earle is arguably the greatest songwriter of the last two decades, so he's created quite a reputation for himself. Therefore, when he records an album that's not quite up to his usual standards, its easy to lose sight of the fact that most other artists will never record anything as good as "Washington Street Serenade". Every Steve Earle album since "Copperhead Road" has had at least one single that deserved to be a smash hit but never became one because he didn't have a major label marketing blitz behind him. This time around, the lost gem the masses will never hear is "Satellite Radio". Inspired by Steve's recent stint as a DJ on XM Radio, the song is a perfect compliment to Bruce Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere", which will, undoubtedly, get far more exposure. And I'm not singling out these tracks simply because I'm a DJ myself. I'd probably love them both if I was a meatpacker or an ornithologist. Another standout track for me is the brilliant cover of Tom Waits' "Down In The Hole". Thousands of singers have covered Tom Waits before, but it's hard to think of another artist more appropriate to do so than Steve Earle."Steve's Hammer" is a terrific Pete Seeger-inspired protest song with lyrics like: "One of these days I'm gonna lay this hammer down/Leave my burden resting on the ground/When the air don't choke ya and the ocean's clean/And the kids don't die for gasoline/One of these days I'm gonna lay this hammer down"Sadly, there are stretches on this album where Steve Earle does indeed lay his hammer down, and those are the weakest parts of the album from my perspective. The love songs are mushier than usual, and some of Earle's edge seems to have been softened, which I suspect is because of his recent marriage to the stunningly beautiful Alison Moorer, who contributes vocals on several songs, including the first single "City Of Immigrants".Steve Earle is a guy who seems to have a new wife to go along with each new album, but this time around he seems atypically blissful on certain tracks, and who can blame him. Alison Moorer is absolutely gorgeous while Steve Earle looks like a guy who's been living in a shack in the Ozark Mountains with no running water for the last ten years while planning the overthrow of the American government. While I'm happy for him on a personal level, tracks like "Sparkle And Shine" come dangerously close to schmaltz, and it's hard not to blame that on his latest relationship. His edge has always been a major part of his appeal, at least musically. It's probably a big reason why he's already up to marriage number seven. Here's hoping that he finds a way to keep his prickliness confined to the studio while being a nicer guy at home. That way, he should be able to keep this latest marriage intact while maintaining the quality of his musical output.

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