Goodbye Guitar Town

The first couple times I listened to Steve Earle's new CD, Washington Square Serenade, it didn't grab me the way The Mountain or Transcendental Blues grabbed me. I moved it to the car, and soon realized just how rich this collection of tunes is.
Here are a few thoughts. Mr. Earle, it seems, has packed in Nashville and moved to New York, and he wants to tell us about it. That's clear from the first tune, Tennessee Blues. Goodbye Guitar Town, Steve's gone. Great song, followed up by Down Here Below, sung from the point of view of an urban hawk, Pale Male - God I love this town. Satellite Radio is a good rocker, but I'm not writing home about it. Then Mr. Earle hits us with City of Immigrants, with Forro in the Dark. Beautiful. He couldn't have written this one in Nashville.

Livin’ in a city of immigrants
I don’t need to go travelin’
Open my door and the world walks in
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
Livin’ in a city that never sleeps
My heart keepin’ time to a thousand beats
Singin’ in languages I don’t speak
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of black
City of white
City of light
City of innocents
City of sweat
City of tears
City of prayers
City of immigrants

Livin’ in a city where the dreams of men
Reach up to touch the sky and then
Tumble back down to earth again
Livin’ in a city that never quits
Livin’ in a city where the streets are paved
With good intentions and a people’s faith
In the sacred promise a statue made
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of stone
City of steel
City of wheels
Constantly spinnin’
City of bone
City of skin
City of pain
City of immigrants

All of us are immigrants
Every daughter, every son
Everyone is everyone
All of us are immigrants - everyone
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
River flows out and the sea rolls in
Washin’ away nearly all of my sins
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of black
City of white
City of light
Livin’ in a city of immigrants
City of sweat
City of tears
City of prayers
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of stone
City of steel
City of wheels
Livin’ in a city of immigrants

City of bone
City of skin
City of pain
City of immigrants
All of us are immigrants

Looking at the pictures on Washington Square Serenade, it looks like Mr. Earle has dropped some weight, lost some hair too, and become considerably more scruffy than we've seen him for a while. I'd say he's experiencing a renaissance of sorts, and listening to Sparkle and Shine, the boy's in love.

From the Steve Earle website: Asked how he would like listeners to respond to Washington Square Serenade, Earle, characteristically, is ready with a bold answer. "If you feel like you don't know what America is all about right now, and you want to reorient yourself to what America should be about, it's a really good time to come to New York City," he says. "I needed really badly at this point in my life to see a mixed-race, same-sex couple holding hands in my own neighborhood. It makes me feel safer."

"I've been pretty heartbroken about the way things have gone politically in this country the last few years, and I seriously considered moving someplace else," he concludes. "Then I figured out that I didn't have to leave the country. All I had to do was come to New York."

Damned good. On the 5 fish anchovy rating scale, I give this one a NYC garbage barge teeming with salties.