Justin Townes Earle — Midnight At The Movies

Justin Townes Earle's sophomore album arrived in stores not even a year after his The Good Life debut.

That might make some wonder if the songs on this album are throwaways that were assembled too quickly. They're anything but. Midnight At The Movies sees Earle's approach change from Bloodshot alt.country to a style more reminiscent of Charlie Poole and early Johnny Cash.

While Earle's cover of The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait" indicates he has many more influences than straight-up country musicians, that the great cover is anchored by a mandolin and Earle's Tennessee drawl is telling. "Someday I'll Be Forgiven For This" — with its quiet piano, gentle, finger-picked guitar and theme of hoping for redemption from past deeds done wrong — is a bit of an answer to The Good Life's "Who Am I To Say." It's just as beautiful, but that it's followed by "Walk Out" — a tune that sees him thumb his nose angrily at a lover in the midst of a pack of banjos, harmonica and fiddle — says a lot about the type of music Earle peddles.

It should be obvious by now that Earle makes country music in the truest sense of the word. His music isn't full of the lovey dovey tripe found on most "new country" (which is just pop with a twang) albums that are chart hits. Earle's country is a throwback tribute to the days of old when artists used the hard times they'd been through to construct gritty songs straight from the heart. Sure, you could dismiss it as overly nostalgic, but you can't deny that nostalgia has power.

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