With so many great songs and albums to his name, it feels a bit strange to make a call as lofty as this; but The Low Highway, Steve Earle's 14th studio album, is one of his finest moments yet.
The title track is an auspicious beginning. It starts with a classic Earle grunt but by the time the first chorus is through you realise that you just don't know where it's going, something Earle carries through on each and every aspect of this record; just when you think you've figured out his direction, he'll throw a sidestep to keep you guessing. Calico County kicks off with an almost Stones-esque riff and has buckets of swagger as does the rocking That All You Got, featuring Earle in duet with an unspecified Duchess.
Burnin' It Down will be familiar to those who saw Earle early last year, the tale of a man wanting to torch a Wal-Mart hard to forget. Loves Gonna Blow My Way takes on something of a Western Swing direction and 21st Century Blues sounds like classic Copperhead Road era Earle, while After Mardi Gras and Invisible are simply brilliant songs that are dripping with emotion and don't at any stage become predictable;
Earle has been pretty consistent with his recorded output of late, but this record bucks that trend by soaring well above and beyond what he's given us over the past decade or so. Everyone knows that he is one of the best songwriters on the planet, but this record suggests he's not content with that, he's still striving to hit new and exciting heights.
