Steve Earle Townes (Cvnl)

3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Earles knows these songs intimately -- some of the greatest in the folk-country canon -- and delivers them with the ease of breathing, mostly unadorned."
"[H]e does his idol justice on this vibrant covers set, delivering supersonic bluegrass and starry-eyed ballads with the same thoughtful finesse."
"On his latest album, Steve Earle, who remains Van Zandt's foremost disciple, gives 15 favorites the kind of carefully considered settings they deserve..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "Van Zandt could be both masochistic thrill-seeker and gentle poet, and Earle know his subject from the outside in."
Billboard (p.34) - "Throughout, Earle's shape-shifting voice inhabits the songs just like Van Zandt's own colorful characters inhabit them..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] dream album, full of devotion, care and spirit as he gently caresses new nuances out of even the much-covered and revered 'Pancho & Lefty,' and adds sinister new layers to 'Marie'..."
4 stars out of 5 -- "This is an album of subtlety and reserve, which allows the original emotional intent of the music to speak for itself."