Steve Earle - Townes

Rating:

* * * *

What Woody Guthrie was to Billy Bragg and Pete Seeger was to Springsteen, Townes Van Zandt has become to Steve Earle. That is not only a life-long inspiration, but the backbone of one really great record. This has Earle covering 15 of the late legendary Texan singer-songwriter's tunes, starting with his best known

Pancho and Lefty

.

And while Earle's grizzled voice plays a little rough on some of Van Zandt's more tender tunes, this is still one of those rare things - a genuine tribute album from a disciple.

And one who thinks his mentor's songs can stand up to all sorts of treatment, and all sorts of guests which here include everyone from wife Alison Moorer to Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello who helps

Lungs

stray off the country-folk rails with some sinewy playing over its electric beats and Earle's distorted vocals. Elsewhere the reinterpretations take a few other liberties with the straight country approach of the originals -

Loretta

, featuring Moorer, sounds relocated to Pogues territory.

Star of the ring-ins though is his fittingly named son Justin Townes Earle who trades song lines with Dad on

Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold

, and helps make it sound quite possibly the best song Johnny Cash never wrote.

Russell Baillie