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Somewhere out there
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S +T +E +V +E +E a r l e++++++++++++
++++++++----> El Corazón <---- E-Squared/Warner Bros.

Earle's reputation was secured by his brilliant 1986 debut, "Guitar Town," which featured songs that blurred the line between rock and country with Earle's blue-collar poetry and stone-solid rhythm guitar. An artist's best album is often his first, thanks to the relatively long gestation of its material, and this was the case with Earle -- until he threw it all away. But then he surprised everybody by coming back from the dead. "I Feel Alright" was every bit as powerful as "Guitar Town," and even more eclectic in its mixture of hard rock, folk-rock, Beatle-esque pop, country and blues. "El Corazón" cuts an equally wide swath, and while not as consistently inspired as its predecessor, it's still one of the best albums of the year.

Where most musicians air-brush their performances, Earle plays music that breathes; you can hear his last pack of cigarettes in the rasp of his voice and feel the tap of his boot in the rhythm of his guitar. The lesser songs on "El Corazón" are accomplished excursions into bluegrass ("I Still Carry You Around," featuring Del McCoury's band), up-tempo talking blues ("You Know the Rest") and Hank Williams country ("The Other Side of Town") that nonetheless feel more like genre exercises than emotional journeys. Similarly, the fingerpicked ballad "Christmas In Washington" offers political insights that might be correct, but are certainly not original.

The best songs render these tunes worthy filler. These days, Bruce Springsteen studies newspaper clips to sound like an ordinary guy; Steve Earle sings about "workin' all week for the Texaco check" on "Telephone Road," and within a rolicking arrangement spiced by a juicy organ and the Fairfield Four, you can practically hear the bottle caps flying off the Friday night longnecks. "N.Y.C," which welds an acoustic verse to a wickedly electric chorus, suggests that Earle's been listening to Beck's "Odelay." Three love songs leave blood on the tracks: "Poison Lovers," a bittersweet country-rock duet with Siobham Kennedy; "If You Fall," a caustic rocker of romantic caution; and "Somewhere Out There," a folk-rock lament that lingers in the mind like a lost lover. "Somewhere out there in the world tonight," sings Earle, "just out of your reach, you'll hear my heart beat." Steve Earle's put plenty of heart into "El Corazón," as well as a whole lot of soul.
SALON | Oct. 16, 1997