As we previously reported, Steve Earle’s new CD The Low Highway will be released April 16. In the meantime, today Earle premiered on CMT a video for one of the songs on the new album, “Invisible.”
Earle continues to use his music to address social issues and this new video is no exception. The video follows a homeless man around the streets of New York. Meanwhile, Earle plays his guitar on a rooftop, daring us to look around us, as he sings about people passing the “invisible” homeless without knowing. Check it out.
What is your favorite Steve Earle album? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Steve Earle is one of the greats first let me say how much I have come to love and respect your work here at Chimesfreedom. I spend a lot of time online on a wide variety of sites and this site is essential viewing for me. It is always interesting and thoughtful, smart and, perhaps, most important of a voice of calm integrity in the hurly-burly sea of madness that is all too often the internet. Thank you for your work. I’ve never commented before but I wanted you to know how much it is appreciated.
Now, on to Mr. Earle, I think he is one of the great artists of our time. His body of work is exceptional. His early stuff especially Guitar Town and Copperhead Road clearly shows he had it in him from the start. His later work demonstrates a maturing artist who plans on staying around like a Springsteen or Dylan. But it is his middle period that stands out for me. Getting clean and sober and free, Earle released Train a Comin’ followed by I Feel Alright, El Corazon, The Mountain, and Transcendental Blues. Put them in any order. They are all great. I am looking forward to The Low Highway. Btw, I also have his novel but have not read it. What is your opinion on his literary works?
I agree with you Michael about Steve Earle’s great career with an output that is consistently of a high quality. I also would say that my CDs came during that middle period too, beginning with “Train a Comin’.” Regarding his literary works, I enjoyed both his short stories and his novel. Importantly, it seems like the fact that he takes time to use his creative talents in different directions helps him maintain his energy as well as a certain connection with his audience and his art, so I have to respect that.
Also, thanks for the thoughtful comments. It is always great to see that folks are reading the blog, and I also appreciate that you see what I’m trying to do here too!
Looking back on what I wrote I notice some errors but that is another reason I like this place, no grammar ogres.
You make an important point on Earle’s willingness to branch out in new creative directions. I have always been saddened by the restrictions many artists either impose on themselves or have imposed upon them from outside forces such as “the man” and “the fan.” Kristofferson’s character John Norman Howard in the film A Star Is Born illustrates one aspect of this phenomenon. It powerfully illustrates the destruction that can occur when genuinely artistic people allow themselves to be trapped in one dimension. Joni Mitchell is a great example of your point. I believe she stretched herself in more than one artistic endeavor and, perhaps most obviously, her musical shift from popular singer songwriter to a much more challenging, at least sonically, artist was extraordinarily dramatic and brave. Now, it is true that artists risk losing their audience as well as financial backing by branching out. I, for one, did not follow Ms. Mitchell on her journey. I had Mingus from her jazz period and Turbulent Indigo from her 90’s works but while I continued to respect and connect intellectually with her later work, I never had the deep emotional connection that I had with her early works (of course losing, so long ago, the women who started me on Joni may have had something to do with it, ah, music and the heart). Nevertheless, I have always deeply respected and admired her fierce bravery in branching out musically and artistically. And now I have your point to ponder as to the importance of artistic expansion to an artist’s growth and greatness. I would be interested in your thoughts in this direction.
I’ll have to think about the issue some more, but it is funny that you mention Kris Kristofferson, who has had successful careers in both music and acting, although I’m not sure how they affected each other. It may be more common for artists to experiment within their own medium to maintain their edge, such as Joni Mitchell’s changing music. Another example might be Bruce Springsteen, who has maintained his relevance and his enjoyment in his work by his willingness to try some different things. I recall him talking about how he knew he would lose some of his “Born in the USA” fans when he released the stark “Nebraska,” but that was okay with him (I may be one of the few who would argue that his 1990s break from the E Street Band also helped reinvigorate him in ways that show in his energy today). And then there is the classic change in musical genres when Bob Dylan refused to be categorized as a folk artist and went electric, giving him new energy and creating what may be the greatest rock song of all time (“Like a Rolling Stone”). And don’t forget that Dylan has dabbled in acting too, as in “Masked and Anonymous” and “Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid,” the latter also starring. . . Kris Kristofferson.