Washington Square Serenade

iTunes Review

As a songwriter, Steve Earle deals with the topical and the timeless. The Texan, who spent years slightly out of step in Nashville, has ended up in New York City and has adopted the city as his muse. With wife Allison Moorer, who harmonizes, adds backing vocals and co-wrote a tune, Earle sets off for the big city (“Tennessee Blues”) and immediately feels at home (“City of Immigrants”), lands a new job as a satellite radio DJ (“Satellite Radio”) and records this album with John King of the Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys, Beck), who adds a few extra hip-hop beats with negligible results. Earle has always been more about the convincing timbre of his voice and his forceful, to-the-point lyrics, not fancy musical accompaniment, and he waxes romantic {“Sparkle and Shine,” “Come Home to Me”) and turns to the news (“Oxycontin Blues”) with equal ease. He does droning country-blues (“Red is the Color”) as well as Son Volt and his cover of Tom Waits’ haunted “Way Down in the Hole” never freaks out but surprisingly colors within the lines.