Music review: Justin Townes Earle, Single Mothers

Album cover for Justin Townes Earle new album Single Mothers.

Justin Townes Earle, Single Mothers: 3/5 stars

This is a much easier handle for Justin Townes Earle's new album, compared with the last one,

Also it carries on from the previous release and Harlem River Blues, although perhaps a little more sparse in terms of instrumentation, with no horn section.

Justin Townes Earle occupies a special space with a fusion of musical styles, including country and rockabilly, into what you might call Americana. It's direct, from the heart, and commands attention. Lyrically, Townes Earle brings the everyday to the table but makes it interesting and appealing.

At times, as on Worried About the Weather and Today and a Lonely Night, there's a melancholy aspect conveyed vocally and also by mournful lap-steel licks. That approach has been a hallmark of his style in all three albums.

But on other tracks Townes Earle also demonstrates that he's pretty nifty with up-tempo songs.

Recent interviews have seen him reflect on his "new" state of mind as a married man, in which he speaks of a newfound happiness, and a desire to not have regrets about his well-documented struggles of the past. The standout is White Gardenias, with an extra track sporting a live version, in which Townes Earle pays tribute to the subject of the song, Lady Day, as in Billie Holiday.

Single Mothers, Justin Townes Earle's fifth album, is his first release for the Vagrant label. The month's release coincides with his New Zealand tour.