Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Pancho And Lefty
2. White Freightliner Blues
3. Colorado Girl
4. Where I Lead Me
5. Lungs
6. No Place To Fall
7. Loretta
8. Brand New Companion
9. Rake
10. Delta Momma Blues
11. Marie
12. Don't Take It Too Bad
13. Mr Mudd And Mr Gold
14. Quicksilver Daydreams Of Maria
15. To Live Is To Fly

Disc 2:

1. Pancho And Lefty
2. Where I Lead Me
3. Lungs
4. No Place To Fall
5. Loretta
6. Brand New Companion
7. Rake
8. Marie
9. Mr Mudd And Mr Gold
10. Quicksilver Daydreams Of Maria
11. To Live Is To Fly
12. Don't Take It Too Bad
13. Mr Mudd And Mr Gold
14. Quicksilver Daydreams Of Maria
15. To Live Is To Fly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5004 in Music
• Released on: 2009-05-18
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Limited Edition
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

CD Description
'Townes' is the thirteenth studio album from American singer/songwriter Steve Earle and sees him pay tribute to his mentor and friend the late Townes Van Zandt. Produced and recorded by Earle himself, 'Townes' features fifteen classic Van Zandt songs, some of which Earle has played throughout his career and some that were arranged especially for this recording. The album also features guest appearances from former Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, wife Allison Moorer and his son Justin Townes Earle.

Customer Reviews

A FINE TRIBUTE
Nice to hear Steve Earle giving these songs a new lease of life. I've heard too many Townes songs watered down and sucked of all feeling by too various to mention. Steve adds an earthy and gritty edge to these classics which he learned from his mentor. There are no bad tracks on this album but (Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria has always been my favourite Townes Van Zandt song and Steve's version is almost as beautiful.
To conclude Steve Earle is not just a fine songwriter but also a fine singer of songs.

A Rake
A mighty record. Some might say you couldn't go wrong with some of the best songs ever written. Not only does Steve not go wrong he treats each one like the work of art it is and makes a wonderful collection out of the lot of them. Record of the year. Townes must be laughing like a spinning top in heaven. Thank you Stevo!

THE STUDENT SURPASSES THE TEACHER
Towns Van Zandt is probably not that well known to those who are not into Steve Earle, but for those of us that are aware of the connection, we are asking 'what took so long?' It really is surprising that Steve Earle has not done this project before, he certainly has in previous releases covered Townes Van Zandt (Train a Comin) but never before exclusivly on one release. Each and every track covered here could well have been from the pen of Steve Earle, so close is the style to that of his own and so deep is the debt he owes to Townes Van Zandt. I have a few T.V.Z. releases which include most of the tracks covered here, but in my humble opinion, T.V.Z. is much more of an aquired taste due to his style of song delivery, and I really do need to be in the correct frame of mind to properly enjoy him. Steve Earle really does breathe new life into these songs, making them his own, thus proving to us that not only is he one of the greatest ever song writers, he is a great interpreter of others work. (Much in the same way as Emmylou Harris or Christy Moore are). Not that we weren't already aware of this as he has released great covers of Springsteen, The Stones and The Beetles, and on two of the three occasions I have seen him live he has covered the greatest song writer of them all Bob Dylan. If you are a Steve Earle fan then I do not need to encourage you to buy this release, it is a far cry from the mediocrity of his last release 'Washington Serenade'. This points to his greatest influance in the field of folk and country. Towns Van Zandt was possibly one of the greatest writers in country and folk music, but I would gladly stand on Steve Earle's coffee table in my cowboy boots and delare that Dylan is still the greatest songwriter of them all.