Album Review: Nothing’s Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now Justin Townes Earle 2

There was a time when Justin Townes Earle stood in the shadow of his father. Steve Earle has been a huge name on the country music scene for decades, so Justin Townes had his work cut out for him (an addiction to heroin hardly helped). With Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now, however, Earle has firmly cemented a standing in the country music landscape in his own right. And with the opening line of the record, “I hear my father on the radio”, he's not shying away from anyone, or anything.

Nothing's Gonna Change… comes and goes far too quickly, with the album over in the barest of half hours. Unlike many other length-deprived, unfinished records, Nothing's Gonna Change… is a balanced, thoughtful and subtle piece of art. Full of restrained horns (see the title track), genre tunes (“Starin' down the black top on a cold dark night” – Memphis In The Rain) and swaggering, Rolling Stones-esque rockers (Baby's Got A Bad Idea), Earle's country stylings are perfect for any occasion.

Hints of Jagger, Jackson Browne and Bob Dylan abound in the presentation, content and style of Nothing's Gonna Change… but despite these comparisons, Earle's appeal to the younger generations is undeniable. Anyone who's seen him play live – and those who haven't yet will have the chance in April – can attest to a beautiful performer, older and wiser than his years, whose storytelling and song-arranging ability is on par with anyone who has come before him – including his father.