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 | Title : Jerusalem
Author : Earle, Steve
Release Date : 20020924
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
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Editorial Reviews :
On 1997's El Corazón, Steve Earle wished for the return of Woody Guthrie to a world sorely lacking voices of righteous dissent. Here, Earle stops pining for ghosts and gruffly makes his own claim to the agit-folk crown. The controversial 'John Walker's Blues' drew attention to the album and the ire of many who misunderstood it, but it's only one of many topical tunes on a disc that issues a kind of call to arms: over the distorted guitars and garbage-pail drums of 'Amerika v. 6.0' and in the spare and creepy satire 'Conspiracy Theory,' Earle rallies listeners to resist such corrosive cultural forces as consumerism, xenophobia, and apathy. And as Earle's songs often do, several cuts offer sympathetic portrayals of folks on the margins: a busted Mexican migrant writes a letter home as organ chirps and guitars blaze through 'What's a Simple Man to Do?' and in 'The Truth,' Earle's fuzzed-out drawl depicts life behind bars. Though nearly every moment of this ambitious album is laden with meaning, there's room enough for simple beauty--like the velvet voice of Emmylou Harris on 'I Remember You'--and, more importantly, hope. 'I believe there'll come a day,' Earle affirms in the closing track, 'when the lion and the lamb will lie down in peace together in Jerusalem.'
Buyer Reviews :
There's been much ado about Steve Earle's newest disc, JERUSALEM, specifically the tune 'John Walker's Blues'. You're standard bunch of right-wing chicken littles have called for Mr. Earle's head because he 'glorifies' the so-called 'American Taliban'. All that ado turns out to be a whole lotta nothin', as Steve gives us what he thinks - in his own unique way - is a glimpse into the mind of young Mr. Lindh. There's no glory here; just a confused boy looking for truth and finding only hate and destruction.
Now, if that's all there was to JERUSALEM, we'd have problems. As nifty a tune as 'John Walker' is - and it is a pretty nifty tune; Woody would be proud - it's nowhere near the best cut on yet another top-shelf record by Nashville's baddest bad boy. Continuing the stripped-down 'loud folk' of such masterpieces as EL CORAZON and TRANSCENDENTAL BLUES, JERUSALEM is raw, rocking and defiant. The overly political Earle lashes out with much fear and loathing at many of the hot topics in today's Generic America. The brilliant 'Amerika v.6.0 (The Best We Can Do)' takes to task the former idealists of the baby Boomer generation who've sold out the dream for comfort, stability and a big S.U.V. 'Conspiracy Theory' asks hard questions, those same questions that will get you branded a 'nutball' or 'trouble maker' by the mainstream media. Earle even takes The Boss to task with 'What's A Simple Man To Do?' which sounds like a NEBRASKA outtake, harkening back to a day when the Jersey Boy wasn't quite so comfortable.
Speaking of Springsteen, Earle's 'Go Amanda' has a raw, loose feeling like the best roots rock should, slipping out of the political mode for some good ol' fashioned rockin'. The title track closes the whole affair with questions about the Holy Land that no one seems to want to answer. They're too busy killing each other in God's name to listen to His words, I guess.
Clocking in at around 36 minutes, JERUSALEM's only fault is it's short length. Earle has always peppered his music with his politics - from 'Billy Austin' on 1990's THE HARD WAY to his brilliant anti-death penalty song 'Ellis Unit One'. This current record takes it one notch higher with questions that deserve answers. There's always a danger with political music of getting trapped in a specific period like a fly in amber. Witness Joan Baez, if you will, but only 'John Walker's Blues' has that sort of immediacy. Unfortunately, like Woody Guthrie's music, the questions asked on the rest of JERUSALEM will always need to be asked until we all realize this can't be the best we can do.
(by Matt Thompson)
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