Album Review – Justin Townes Earle’s “Single Mothers”
This release might mean just a little bit more to Justin Townes Earle. The harder you work for things, the more value they tend to hold. After concluding a five-album contract with the scrappy and street-accredited independent label Bloodshot Records, Justin Townes Earle moved on to what he hoped would be greener pastures, and quickly got his nose pushed in. Earle saddled up with British-based label Communion Records owned in part by Ben Lovett—the accordion and keyboard player of Mumford & Sons. The situation got sideways between Justin and Communion when the label required him to turn in 30 tracks that they could then cull through and select what they wanted to release. Earle would have none of it, and went into rebellion mode, resulting in his eventual extraction from Communion to release this new album Single Mothers through California-based label Vagrant.
For starters, the cover art for this album deserves to be commended. Such a lost art in this digital age, artists go into projects having no clue how to sync up their expression with the first image listeners see to prepare them for the experience. The defiance in the eyes of these two youngsters, the innocence at believing their intertwined lives will remain this way forever, and the wonder and promise the whole scene evokes is something worthy of individual praise. It stimulates the mind and imagination, readying them to receive Justin’s musical notions with more of an agape consciousness.
It may seem hard to sense Justin Townes Earle as a seasoned artist since he’s the son of an established performer and still resides in his early 30’s, but this is Earle’s sixth overall project. He’s already spent years out on the road, and he’s already been anointed by Americana’s independent industry. He won the Americana Music Award for Emerging Artist half a decade ago, and now he draws large crowds across the country and world as an Americana stalwart, and a leader of the subgenre’s second generation.
The occasion of Earle’s sixth album also sees the songwriter settling into his established sound for better or worse. Where in his early days Justin would swing from influences in the country and bluegrass worlds to songs more fit for folk distinction, and then chart into the blues and even a more soulful Motown sound, now Earle seems to understand what he does best, and doesn’t venture too far away from it. Though you may still hear the moan of the steel guitar in places, or the cajoling of his eclectic and signature style of playing the acoustic guitar with heavy plucking and strumming, really Justin Townes Earle, the singer and producer, has settled into a firm pocket of finding the heartbeat of black Memphis and Motown and reviving it for the modern ear.
Placing aside the songwriting effort for a second, this steadiness has made Earle’s compositions comfortable to the ear, but also somewhat predictable. During the transition of the first two songs on Single Mothers, you almost have to look at the display of your media device to be assured the first song isn’t actually repeating in the way the two tracks sound so similar. The album is fairly straightforward throughout with the guitar tone, brushes on snare, and a similar style to Earle’s voice, with some notable exceptions.
As Justin Townes Earle will tell you, he’s a songwriter first, and that is what the listener should clue in on most intently on a JTE project. The production and instrumentation is simply the clothing. But in this established sound Justin has sired over his last few albums, you tend to miss Earle’s other signature attribute, which is his solo stylings. Justin Townes Earle doesn’t need a band. His songs, his voice, and his clawhammer hybrid-style plucking on a parlor-sized guitar is sound enough to send hearts pounding. The music on Single Mothers at times feels like it gets in the way of the experience, while also being a little unimaginative and undercooked if he was going to go for the full band sound. When he opens up the space, like he does in the magnificent “Picture In A Drawer,” the composition comes alive. Or when the backing band is allowed to step out a little bit more like on the final track “Burning Pictures,” you find a little more energy drawn from Earle’s original idea. In the middle though, you feel like Justin’s inspiration is represented a little thinly.
What works here the best are the songs themselves, speaking cohesively about a forlornness towards past memories and experiences. The title of Single Mothers speaks very personally to Earle’s own narrative as a boy growing up, abandoned by his father, and now looking at the world through the eyes those experiences forged. “My Baby Drives” appears to allude to his recently wedded bride that according to Earle has put him in a very happy place. But he promises that he still has a lifetime of bad experiences to reflect on for forlorn inspiration, and it is this type of past-tense reflection that gives Single Mothers its singular, distinct, and wistful flavor.
The songs of this album very much live up to the still-emerging, but growing legacy of Justin Townes Earle as an award-winning songwriter. It’s just a shame a little more vision wasn’t brought to some of the music, and it’s hard to hear those few songs that you can pluck from the crowd and play as examples of his genius. “Time Shows Fools” though is a great specimen of how to express a timeless sentiment in an undiscovered way.
Perhaps in the rush and melee this album experienced as a result of the label issues, the right chemistry wasn’t found to make the finishing results reside in the ideal. But Single Mothers is an album that takes nothing away from Justin Townes Earle, and may be his most personal yet.
1 1/2 of 2 Guns Up.
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Purchase Single Mothers from Justin Townes Earle / Vagrant
Preview & Purchase Tracks on Amazon
September 9, 2014 @ 5:55 pm
Great review that I agree with entirely. Really would have loved to simply hear him finger picking with a little steel or harmonica on top. His finger-style is something very unique and I think it is a shame it isn’t more on the albums when in reality he does it live constantly. Still a solid album. White Gardenias sounds especially awesome solo acoustic and the album version really doesn’t do it justice.
September 10, 2014 @ 5:12 am
Trigger, this is very well-written review. I know you complain about the lack of interest in your album reviews, but one of my great pleasures is seeing how far your writing has developed over the life of this site.
I can’t help but think that JTE needs a Waylon Jennings to his Billy Joe Shaver. That is, someone to take these great songs and give them a platform for launch and – dare I say it – a more contemporary sound. We should be listening to this stuff on the radio!
September 10, 2014 @ 8:05 am
I see what you are saying and I agree the JTE should be all over radios. But, were I disagree is that he needs somebody to put a more contemporary sound to his songs. Billy Joe was the perfect fit for Waylon because he had always been making that raucous honky tonk sound from the get go. When it comes to Justin Townes Earle I think of him more in the light of the guy he was named after, Townes Van Zandt. And I am not really trying to compare them but I think they make music that is best listened to when it is not over produced to much. As great as a producer Cowboy Jack was he tended to do this with some of Townes songs and it tended to take that rawness away from his songs. And that’s what I think would happen if you were trying to produce some JTE’s songs for radio. That raw honesty and simplicity that is in his songs wouldn’t come off as powerful.
September 10, 2014 @ 5:36 am
Solid review. Though I have only listened once, so far, this album doesn’t grab me as a whole, though these two songs are excellent. I would add, though, that I think his singing is part of the problem to me. He has always sung certain songs slowly, chewing on the words and a bit behind the beat, which works on the right songs, but for an entire album it just feels sleepy and a little overdone to me.
By the way, the boy on the cover is Sammy Brue, a young songwriter (about 14 now) from Utah who JTE got to know. He’s still trying a bit hard to be like his idols, but has some real talent to watch for.
September 10, 2014 @ 2:07 pm
Ditto on not grabbing me at once either. His previous work really stood out the first listen through. This one seems monotonous and kinda boring. I hope further listens will change my mind because he’s certainly a superior talent.
September 11, 2014 @ 7:36 am
Ya’ll make valid points but I am honestly loving these new songs. Especially being raised by single mom some of the songs really hit home. (And I am not saying you had to be raised by a single parent or if you were you have to like these songs) Just speaking from my personal experience and what they have already meant to me. I am just appreciative someone with song writing talents like JTE made this album.
And Emily I agree with you about Sammy Brue…That boy has got great talent. I think with him relying to much on his idols comes with him being 14 and this is the way almost all artist practice and become better after their craft when their young. He will find his sound soon enough and can’t wait for him to, cause he has got what it takes even at his early age.
September 11, 2014 @ 3:52 pm
I didn’t mean to minimize Sammy’s talent at all. I expect someone his age to be finding his voice, and he is ahead of the curve. Just anticipating people who might look him up and dismiss him. He needs some life experience, but as that comes, I think he will be writing stellar songs.
September 11, 2014 @ 3:55 pm
After a few more listens, it is growing on me, as let the lyrics sink in, which has always been his strength.
I just saw an interview where he said he bases his style here on Billie Holiday’s timing.
September 10, 2014 @ 9:31 pm
Justin Townes Earle is one of the few musicians you can audibly hearing slow down. Most musicians tend to speed up. I’ve heard him do this numerous times live. You can hear this specifically on “It’s Cold In The House” on this album.
November 22, 2014 @ 8:36 am
thanks a bunch Emily … was trying to find some info on the cover art … was thinking that was a young Justin with his bride to be — the girl favors pictures I’d seen of Justin’s wife— and wondered if this was them as Jr High sweethearts— you cleared it up!
November 22, 2014 @ 9:38 am
I wrote a followup story to this with some more detailed information about the cover if you’re interested.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/sammy-brue-or-the-young-man-on-justin-townes-earles-single-mothers-album-cover
September 10, 2014 @ 6:12 am
On a side note. . .
Please do not read/click on any Taylor Swift articles. Then Trigger will stop posting them, and that will leave room for more good stuff like this.
Carry on.
September 10, 2014 @ 8:31 am
I think this website is interesting because it has a 360° view on what happens in country music. If you don’t care about something then don’t read it
September 10, 2014 @ 9:25 am
Much of Justin’s picking is Travis Style.. Haven’t had a chance to listen to any of the album yet but I am looking forward to it. There is always the part of me that wants to hear another Yuma or The Good Life when he releases a new album but even with that I never left disappointed.
September 11, 2014 @ 9:23 am
Excellent review. I picked it up yesterday so it’s only had one full listen. (I hit my favorite shop, grab the CD, get a cup of coffee to go, throw the CD in my car’s player, and drive around some lakes while it plays one time completely through).
Nothing really wowed me on this one, yet. Funny about the first two songs is that I did check my player to see if they were two different songs. I’ll keep it but the older stuff is bound to get more play. Musically, this is a polished effort but a bit too laid back overall for my tastes. He always writes strong honest relatable lyrics.
September 16, 2014 @ 12:52 pm
Feels like a mood album to me. One I’ll play only when a laid back, nursing-a-hurt feeling strikes ”“ and it will be absolute perfection. But not the kind I’ll keep in the rotation like many of his others.
October 11, 2014 @ 12:10 am
I finally got around to this one tonight as the last album in my JTE binge. Firstly, on an ancillary note, I also have a fondness for album art. It irritates me that my iPod classic doesn’t display the art in a very large format, but it was the only model of the brand that would hold all of my music at the sound quality I wanted (160 gigabytes). Call it OCD or whatever you want, but I’m so fond of the art for my albums that if the prescribed upload by iTunes strikes me as shoddy, underexposed or otherwise not up to snuff, I seek out a replacement or scan one myself. It truly isn’t what it used to be, as you say. Of course, how could it be? As a culture we’ve moved from 12×12 vinyl covers to .5x.5 MP3 player displays.
As for the actual music, I was a bit disappointed. I still liked this album better than Nothing’s Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now (which, in my opinion, is Justin’s only outright dud of an album) but it didn’t do as much for me as his Yuma EP or Midnight At the Movies or even Harlem River Blues. As you hinted, the music at times can seem a little lifeless and that killed certain songs for me. I followed this album up with the NoiseTrade EP Eastside Manor Sessions and was absolutely blown away by the material in that context. I think Justin should consider recording his next set of songs with just his guitar and a microphone, and perhaps a drummer. His lyrics and strained vocal delivery work better in a more intimate setting. While it’s a strange complain given how stripped his production is compared with anything in the mainstream, I found Single Mothers to be a little overproduced. It could also have to do with the fact that I preferred americana Justin to Motown Justin, but that’s incidental. If one is to appreciate an artist as a songwriter first the artist can’t distract the listener with the arrangement. Just my two cents. Thoughts, Trigger?
October 21, 2014 @ 5:58 pm
Just announced a companion album “absent fathers” due in January. Hopefully it’s on par with his older stuff