Justin Townes Earle has done it again.
After winning all kinds of kudos for his 2010 album “Harlem River Blues” — including the prestigious Americana Music Award Song of the Year for the title track — he has turned around and released an album that is personal, passionate and dripping with Memphis-inspired soul. “Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now” finds Earle at his most vulnerable, singing about his roller coaster of a life.
“I think this is about being honest,” Earle said. The songs include ruminations on everything from his much-revered father, Steve Earle, to his personal substance abuse battles. “I think people find a certain comfort in knowing that I go through the same things some of them do. I work on [sobriety] and I’m not promising anything.”
| If you go |
| Justin Townes Earle |
| When: 7:30 p.m. Friday |
| Where: Birchmere Music Hall, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria |
| Info: $29.50; 703-549-7500; birchmere.org |
While “Harlem River Blues” veered from rockabilly to roots, his latest album is Americana with dollops of soul and hints of Dixieland. It’s his my-life-is-an-open-book attitude that is the bedrock of his music.
Consider the first track, “Am I That Lonely Tonight,” in which he almost immediately mentions his famous father and his wish for more personal contact with him. The imagery is so powerful, you can picture Earle holed up in a hotel room, hearing his dad on the radio and longing to reach out to him.
That’s not to say all the songs on this release are three-hankie numbers, even if sorrowful themes abound. “Baby’s Got a Bad Idea,” a swing-infused Dixieland-accented number, is a peppy, made-for-dancing tune, as is “Memphis in the Rain.”
Earle calls himself the type of writer who is always keeping notes about observations and experiences and jotting down phrases. He revisits those notes when he begins crafting a new album, writing just the songs he needs. Don’t look for extra, unrecorded songs in Earle’s arsenal. Like his music royalty father, he doesn’t stockpile.
Instead he spends his time after writing refining all the details that go into a record. For this album, he recorded all the songs live at an analog studio in Asheville, N.C. He credits the setting with the heartfelt tone that permeates the songs.
“We locked everyone out and were able to get to our thing,” he said. “You go to Asheville and you find blues and good artistic people, and street musicians. It made us feel at home.”
