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| Feeling Mortal 2012 |
735 Miles To Go
Where Kris Kristofferson flirted with mortality on his last two offerings (2006's This Old Road and 2009's Closer To The Bone), the 76-year-old silver tongued devil greets it head on in with the opening line of the opening song on his latest.
"Wide awake and feeling mortal/At this moment in the dream/That old man there in the mirror/And my shaky self esteem"
At last summer's Ohio State Fair show with fellow road warrior Merle Haggard, a fantastic Kristofferson looked neither worn out nor a nostalgia act.
But as if to further his point, there is no photo on the cover or in the liner notes of the singer/songwriter/actor/Rhodes Scholar/helicopter pilot/Highwayman.
Produced by Don Was, Feeling Mortal features tributes (Mama Stewart and Ramblin' Jack), regrets (Just Suppose and My Heart Was the Last One to Know), and sage advice (Stairway to the Bottom).
Kristofferson's voice warbles a bit more wearily than it did on Closer To The Bone, but the quiet instrumentation never overwhelms the sing/talk storytelling of a life well lived. The Zydeco splashes in Ramblin' Jack just add to orneriness of the adventures.
It would be easy to say this closes the trilogy started with This Old Road. But, be careful to write an ending just yet.
In the aptly titled You Don't Tell Me What to Do, he sings, "So I sing my own songs/And I drink when I'm thirsty/And I will go on making music and whiskey/And love for as long as the spirit inside me/Says you don't tell me what to do."
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| I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive 2011 |
Song For The Soundtrack: Ramblin' Jack
(This day's run was truly transportation for a trip to Johnny Go's House of Music to pick up the new Willie Nelson and Steve Earle discs. Thus, Earle's I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive became the second feature.)
Inspired by the passing of his father, Steve Earle says of the songs on I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive, "They are all, as far as I can tell, about mortality in one way or another; death as a mystery rather than a punctuation mark or at least a comma rather than a period."
Earle certainly knows something about edgy living and looking over the ledge of life.
He's a graduate of the Townes Van Zandt school of songwriting and hard living. Heroin, cocaine and weapons charges landed him in jail and a heroin addiction put him into rehab.
The three-time Grammy Award winner has been married seven times and currently to singer/songwriter Allison Moorer who handles back-up vocals on I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. Moorer toured with Earle as a member of The Dukes (& Duchesses) in support of the record.
As he sings on Every Part Of Me and remarks on stage, he still can't believe his luck in ending up with Moorer: "I've Labored Long In My Travails/And Left A Trail Of Tears Behind Me/Been In Love So Many Times/Didn't Think This Kind Would Ever Find Me."
I just want to be invited to the Earle Family Holiday Hootenanny featuring Steve, his son Justin Townes Earle, wife Allison and her sister Shelby Lynne.
Lyrically, all the songs follow the theme. Musically, they range from Irish (The Gulf of Mexico and Molly-O) to shufflin' country (Waitin' On The Sky To Fall) to spooky (Meet Me In The Alleyway) under T Bone Burnett's production.
Sara Watkins' fiddle playing is the highlight of Little Emperor - one last kick to the W. legacy.
"No Pomp And Circumstance No More Shock And Awe
You're Just A Little Emperor That's All"
This City from the HBO series about New Orleans, Treme, also appears, as did Earle in three episodes of the show.
Song For The Soundtrack: I Am A Wanderer
Running Data for Saturday, April 13:
Inspired by the passing of his father, Steve Earle says of the songs on I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive, "They are all, as far as I can tell, about mortality in one way or another; death as a mystery rather than a punctuation mark or at least a comma rather than a period."
Earle certainly knows something about edgy living and looking over the ledge of life.
He's a graduate of the Townes Van Zandt school of songwriting and hard living. Heroin, cocaine and weapons charges landed him in jail and a heroin addiction put him into rehab.
The three-time Grammy Award winner has been married seven times and currently to singer/songwriter Allison Moorer who handles back-up vocals on I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. Moorer toured with Earle as a member of The Dukes (& Duchesses) in support of the record.
As he sings on Every Part Of Me and remarks on stage, he still can't believe his luck in ending up with Moorer: "I've Labored Long In My Travails/And Left A Trail Of Tears Behind Me/Been In Love So Many Times/Didn't Think This Kind Would Ever Find Me."
I just want to be invited to the Earle Family Holiday Hootenanny featuring Steve, his son Justin Townes Earle, wife Allison and her sister Shelby Lynne.
Lyrically, all the songs follow the theme. Musically, they range from Irish (The Gulf of Mexico and Molly-O) to shufflin' country (Waitin' On The Sky To Fall) to spooky (Meet Me In The Alleyway) under T Bone Burnett's production.
Sara Watkins' fiddle playing is the highlight of Little Emperor - one last kick to the W. legacy.
"No Pomp And Circumstance No More Shock And Awe
You're Just A Little Emperor That's All"
This City from the HBO series about New Orleans, Treme, also appears, as did Earle in three episodes of the show.
Song For The Soundtrack: I Am A Wanderer
Running Data for Saturday, April 13:
5.70 Miles
1:02:05
Mileage in the Change Jar: 0.65 Miles
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