Hardcore troubadour, dissident country & western artist and political activist Steve Earle has seen enough of the seamy side of life to make beautiful and lived records for the rest of his career. And whether he is writing a book, honoring his teacher Townes van Zandt with an album or presenting a collection of new songs, he rarely misses the mark. I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive also
… starts energetically, with for example the two Irish folk songs The Gulf Of Mexico and Molly-O and the blaring megaphone blues of Meet Me In The Alleyway. Still the album collapses afterwards and the ballads start to dominate a bit too much. No duet with dear wife Allison Moorer, super band led by producer T Bone Burnett or copper arrangement by Allen Toussaint will help. So a half successful album, this fourteenth from Earle. (MR)more
