JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE “MIDNIGHT AT THE MOVIES” (BLOODSHOT RECORDS)

Guest contributor Ted Murphy.

Father, brother, husband, son, friend to many and Americana music fan Ted Murphy passed away this week after a long and heroic battle against melanoma.  In his memory I have reposted a review Ted wrote for HickoryWind:

JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE “MIDNIGHT AT THE MOVIES” (BLOODSHOT RECORDS)

With two famous pedigrees to draw from or live up to as the case may be (his father Steve and Steve’s hardcore troubadour buddy Townes Van Zandt), Justin Townes Earle has released his second full length, “Midnight at the Movies” on Bloodshot Records. Earle chooses to both embrace and distance himself from the Earle heritage on “Mama’s Eyes”, where he states that “I am my father’s son, I’ve never known when to shut up, I ain’t foolin’ no one, I am my father’s son, we don’t see eye to eye, and I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never tried”. Fair enough; you don’t always have to embrace your genetic tapestry. 

The songs on “Midnight at the Movies” are all very well done and are an eclectic bunch; there are a few Texas honky-tonk numbers (“What I Mean to You”, and “Poor Old Fool”), some more folksy/Americana numbers, but, in this listeners opinion, the gems on the album stray away from strict nods to his forbearers. “Can’t Hardly Wait”, while a Replacements cover, is mixed with a heavier rhythm section than other songs on the album, and the slightly more “rocking” vocals (although still country) seem a better fit for Justin; he makes this song his own. In the title song, “Midnight at the Movies”, you can hear some Gram Parsons influence, both musically and vocally, but the melody, vocal style, and lyrics are very well emotionally matched, which makes for a great song. 

The downside of this album is the fact that there are so many different song styles and influences that it can lack cohesion and musical narrative. That being said, there is more than enough good stuff on this album that it is definitely significant step towards establishing his own voice and sound, and establishes high expectations for subsequent work. 

-Ted