I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive

 (35 customer reviews)

In the half-decade since Steve Earle moved from the Guitar Town to Greenwich Village, he has released three albums: one of original material, one composed entirely of covers of Townes Van Zandt songs (Earle's mentor, friend, and as described by Earle, "the best songwriter in the whole world"), and now this, his third NYC-era album and second of original material. For those of us who have followed Earle's albums, we know that with his move to Greenwich Village came an obvious change in the sound of Earle's music. On his 2007 release, "Washington Square Serenade (DIG)," (WSS) not only did he seemingly abandon (for the most part) much of the hard rock sound that had permeated many of his previous albums for a softer, more multicultural sound with occasional hip hop accents, but he also began to record using Pro Tools. The effects of the digital...Read more

Steve Earle's I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive is his first release of all-original material since 2007's Washington Square Serenade; it is arguably his best collection of material since 2003's Jerusalem. It is a mostly subtle and quiet effort, but even Earle's quiet music has a forward lean to it. It is, by far, his most country-sounding album since his 1998 bluegrass outing, The Mountain.

There are several high points on this disc, songs that will stand with the best of Steve Earle's creations. The opener, "Waitin' on the Sky," is a sprightly number where Earle revisits his life and some of his common themes (I love Allison Moorer, I didn't think I'd still be alive) without sounding tired, redundant, or smug. "God is God" is a statement of faith and belief somewhat similar to Waylon Jennings' "I Do Believe," a song he performed with the Highwaymen. "Meet Me in the Alleyway" has a sinister, Tom Waitsian feel along with some yowling harmonica courtesy of Earle...Read more

There are no songs on this album that equal Steve's masterpieces, like "Goodbye," but it is still the best overall album since Jerusalem, in my opinion. The songs are consistently good, with the musical range fans expect from Steve. Not much of the rock'n'roller Steve, though "Gulf of Mexico" is a great Pogues style blend of folk and rock, and "Heaven and Hell" has a rock vibe. I particularly like his dabbling with a bit of old New Orleans jazz on "This City," and would love to see him do more with the Preservation Hall band, as someone else here said.

I have read several professional reviews of the album, and find it interesting that there seems to be little agreement about the best and worse songs. For instance, I have seen "Every Part of Me" and "Waiting on the Sky" panned and praised. This probably reflects the lack of any one song that blows folks away, but also that any one reviewer likes different aspects of Steve's work. I also think his best songs musically...Read more