On the inner cover they are fraternally and visibly misty next to each other in the photo: outlaw country bard Steve Earle and his mentor Townes Van Zandt, who died in 1997. The latter was already a legend in life with its haunted, bittersweet songs that reflected an equally difficult existence. At Townes, Earle - who himself saw the gutter but came out stronger and more creative than ever - pays
… tribute to Van Zandt. He does this unpredictably and with a very personal choice from Van Zandt's voluminous repertoire. Van Zandt's most famous song (which Earle previously covered) Pancho and Lefty is not missing, but he ignored Kathleen's immortal musical death wish, for example. Earle therefore opted for unadorned, bare versions of the raw velvet originals. Averse to any sentiment, Earle's distorted voice sounds in Lungs, sparingly accompanied by a cracking rhythm box and an acoustic guitar. Fans of Earle may be satisfied with this inspired album, while fans of the original repertoire will certainly have to swallow every now and then. (MR)more
