Product Description: After an extremely rare three year break from recording, Grammy® Award winner Steve Earle is back, with Washington Square Serenade. The album represents a number of firsts for Steve: his first record for New West Records, his first album produced in New York City (now his home), and his first produced by John King of The Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys) at the legendary Electric Lady Studios. The deluxe CD/DVD version will be available with bonus packaging art plus an exclusive documentary DVD about the inspiration behind the album. The bonus DVD includes 3 acoustic performances, interviews and a walking tour of Greenwich Village with Steve and noted journalist Mark Jacobson. The album will also be available as a Limited Edition 180 gram vinyl record.
Amazon.com: The title and opening songs of Washington Square Serenade are as much a celebration of New York City--Steve Earle's newly adopted home--as his breakthrough Guitar Town was an evocation of his previous home in Nashville. In fact, the opening "Tennessee Blues," with its acoustic guitar over a digital rhythm loop, bids "goodbye to Guitar Town," as he leaves with "a redhead by my side." That would be wife Allison Moorer, who harmonizes beautifully with her husband on "Days Aren't Long Enough," written by the two; provides background vocals elsewhere; and plainly inspires "Sparkle and Shine" and the bittersweet "Come Home to Me," two of the album's loveliest songs. The result is a new chapter in Earle's career, an album unlike any he's previously recorded, produced by John King of the Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys). While the raw, raging blues of "Red Is the Color" ranks with Earle's most powerful music, "Satellite Radio" could well be the slightest (as well as perhaps a plug for Earle's own radio show), but the artist's willingness to take chances attests to a restless creativity that refuses to be corralled. Other noteworthy tracks include the Brazilian-tinged "City of Immigrants," the tribute to Pete Seeger on "Steve's Hammer," and the closing rendition of Tom Waits's "Down in the Hole," which will serve as the theme music for Season 5 of The Wire. --Don McLeese
ho-hum, more growling and grumbling from steve how old is steve now? he acts like just another teen growling and grumbling about love and other non-sense with some random guitar music thrown in. another artist that has outgrown any relevance (if he ever had any).
Washingto Square Serenade: A Wonderment And certainly Steve Earl's masterpiece. I have listened to his records for years but only on "The Revolution Starts Now" do we get a taste of the genius that made this album.
After 30 years of not great records and just OK records, suddenly Steve Earl creates a bull-goose, full tilt masterpiece. My guess is that he will never top this. Perhaps it was simply the right time, place, inspiration and musicians. The juices were flowing.
This record is a must-have for any serious pop music listener. Forget about country music or "Alt Country" it's simply a great record -like Paul Simon's first solo record. It defies category.
I LOVE it! I hadn't bought a Steve Earle CD since "Copperhead Road" and "Essential Steve Earle."Although he has shelved the rock and roll, this CD is absolutely awesome. Maybe buying it at his concert has me biased, but I don't think so. I also purchased two others afterwards, and this one is by far the best.
Pretty disappointing I wish I'd just bought the MP3 versions of three songs on this album that are good: Sparkle and Shine, Come Home to Me, and Days Aren't Long enough, and avoided the rest; alas, I bought the whole album before I heard it. I was hoping that with this album, Steve Earle would focus less on preaching his political beliefs (see the The Revolution Starts Now album) and more on creating good music like the whole Transcendal Blues album. While this album isn't as overtly political as past recent efforts, I nevertheless didn't like it much. While three songs mentioned above were aesthetically pleasing, many were grating on the ear (e.g., Satellite Radio, Red Is The Color). City of Immigrants -- with its banal multicultural platitudes made me want to barf; and it wasn't just the lyrics -- it's just a lousy song. I don't have high hopes that Steve Earle's move to New York is going get him back to making great albums like T.B., El Corazon, or I Feel Alright; those albums were phenomenol.
Brilliant! If you haven't yet fallen in love with Steve Earle, here's your latest chance. Wherever Steve Earle is is where Steve Earle shines, and for sure New York City is no exception. Each song is gorgeous, fresh and new. The writing and production is fabulous from what might be called "hillbilly hip-hop" on "Satellite Radio" and "Tennessee Blues" to the lilting, Beatlesque "Days Aren't Long Enough". Thoughtful, gentle "Come Home To Me" is especially poignant for those of us who've loved and lost and lived to finally find real love. "Down Here Below" is midtown Manhattan with a brilliant, NYC-meets-Tennessee banjo break. Other simply outstanding tracks include... every other song on the album. If you think you can write a song, listening to Steve Earle will either make you want to put down your pen forever or try a heck of a lot harder. The man just oozes impeccable music, and presents it in such a down home way he makes such genius seem as every-day as putting gas in your car, but we know better. I can't wait for more from Mr. Earle. Pale Male might not care, but I sure do.
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