Album Review: Justin Townes Earle - Single Mothers

Justin Townes Earle keeps blossoming artistically, his fifth long-player continuing his rapid ascent. The mellow collection drips with his trademark empathy and resignation, and furthers his slight fixation on parenting issues (Single Mothers, Picture In A Drawer).

Recorded live with his band, the gorgeous pedal steel of Paul Niehaus (Lambchop, Calexico) and deft drumming of Matt Pence (Centro-Matic) add beautiful texture to tracks like White Gardenias and Today And A Lonely Night. No longer just his father’s son, Earle now casts a substantial shadow himself over the fertile Americana landscape.