Justin Townes needs Earle less than thirty minutes for Single Mothers, his fifth album. In that half hour Earle, indeed the son of Steve Earle, delivers ten extremely pleasant songs. First and foremost, it is the relaxed atmosphere of Single Mothers that attracts the listener. Which does not always mean that the content of the songs is equally light. Earle has been through quite a bit in his
… not-so-long life, he struggled with drug addictions just like his father, for example, and he incorporates some of those experiences into his music. What he also has in common with his father is that they both make country, but country that is a great distance from what generally comes from Nashville. That also makes Single Mothers attractive. From sober tracks like Picture In A Drawer or It's Cold In This House, with no more than guitar and pedal steel, to more up-tempo songs like My Baby Drives or Burning Pictures, Justin Townes Earle can handle everything. (IV)more