Maybe it was because it was the eve of Independence Day, but the first image that entered my brain while watching Justin Townes Earle was a firework with a very long fuse. Mr. Earle began his performance solo, accompanied only by a guitar. It may have been a low-key start, but because I had seen him perform previously, I knew of the musical explosion to come....
Someone in the audience asked me to classify his music, and all I could come up with was the broad category of Southern Rock, but I added, "his stage-persona reminds me of Buddy Holly...." Indeed, that's the best description I can give, a bespectacled skinny guy whose musical wild-streak betrays his looks....
During the evening, Mr. Earle self-identified with Woody Gutherie, and then played "I'm Wanderin' " and said that he hoped Gutherie would approve.... For what it's worth, I find the song to be such a successful homage that I will now add Gutherie to my description the next time I'm asked....
But, the resistance to classification is one of the things I admire most about Justin Townes Earle, and I believe it is reflected in his songwriting, not only in the fact that he jumps from genre to genre with such ease, but also because unexpected mixtures of styles and tone often lead to wonderfully mismatched songs.... I'm thinking particularly of "Harlem River Blues," a composition that is the happiest song about suicide you'll ever hear...
Then there's a song like "Christ-Church Woman" which while it does at times have a mournful quality, takes on a whole new demension and resonance when Earle reveals that it was inspired by the devastation in Christ-Church....
So, how does one ultimately classify Justin Townes Earle? As a songwriter who is comfortable in many genres, and never underestimates the value of surprise....
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