Steve Earle The Mountain

3.5 stars (out of 5) - "...this is a vigorous, invigorating album....No hits, plenty of runs, no errors."
"...THE MOUNTAIN is like a self-portrait from before Earle was born, so pious it sounds like the vows of a Texas 12-step program, and so great that so what?..."
"On his first all-bluegrass album, Earle's anarchic spirit roughens up the normally polished McCoury Band, but the result is far from amateurish--rather, it's the sound of consummate pros having a blast..." - Rating: B+
4 Stars (out of 5) - "...The 14 tracks here are the among the best Earle has written, staying true to the form's roots whilst adding a rock dynamic..."
Included in CMJ's "Triple A '99 Top 5" - "...Already the greatest country rocker of his time, Earle has joined up with the greates bluegrass family for [MOUNTAIN]..."
"...THE MOUNTAIN is arguably one of the finest moments for both Steve Earle and The Del McCoury Band and as enjoyable to listen to as it probably was to make."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[W]hether kicking up a little dust on the rousing 'Texas Eagle' or slipping into more measured, elegiac mode on the outstanding title track, it stands up as one of his finest."
Ranked #15 in Mojo Magazine's "Best of 1999."
"Dramatically different....A fine, timeless album."
3 stars out of 5 -- "Citing Bill Monroe as his major inspiration, Earle immersed himself in the rudiments and theory of the genre, and many of its finest songs' post-Great Depression dustbowl lyrical concerns."