Jerusalem [CD]

But it's impossible to comment on 'Jerusalem' without focusing on the politics, because it's a deliberately political album and that's what it'll receive most attention for. Steve Earle is strongly left-wing (almost unique for a country musician), and his political views (e.g. on the death penalty) have sometimes appeared on earlier albums. On 'Jerusalem', though, most of the songs have a direct political message, and it's the lyrics which leave the strongest impression when I listen to it. It sounds like it's meant to be a wake-up call for Americans to look at what's happening in their country in the aftermath of September 11.

'John Walker's Blues' has already attracted hysterical knee-jerk criticism in the USA. John Walker Lindh is an American who joined the Taliban, and Earle tries to understand what motivated him. Despite what his critics claim (have they listened to the song?), he isn't trying to justify what John Walker did - he's trying to explain that alienated young people look for something to give their lives meaning, and for John Walker that was Islam. The way the song fades out to a voice reciting from the Koran is very powerful.

On 'Ashes to Ashes', Earle's message is that America's position as the world's superpower is only temporary, and the lyrics ("Every tower ever built tumbles") are pretty harsh. Elsewhere, Earle tackles America's enthusiasm for imprisoning its population ('The Truth'), and the American dream being overtaken by selfishness and greed ('Amerika v. 6.0'). There are songs about society's outsiders and misfits, which sometimes remind me of Bruce Springsteen on albums like 'Nebraska' or 'The Ghost of Tom Joad'. It ends with the title track - an optimistic song about the chances of peace in Israel-Palestine, and a reminder about how easy it is to come to accept war and bloodshed in the news as just being a normal part of life.

All in all, a brave and remarkable album. Buy it if you like intelligent, socially-conscious music (Springsteen or Billy Bragg), or just top-quality country-rock.

This album is Earle at his sparest, the charge of sparseness is justified, lyrically this album makes its points in the most direct and simple way possible.

American music has often told the story of the renegade, the outsider, Steve Earle's skill is taking the vernacular of the American song and taking it in an unexpected direction.

In "John Walker's Blues" Earle takes the old cliche "sometimes a man has got to fight for what he believes" but applies it to an American muslim detained in camp X-ray, Earle skilfully turns reactionary language against itself and invites us to see the present situation from a different perspective.

But hey its not all doom and gloom, "Go Amanda" (co-written with Cheryl Crow) is a knockabout Faces pastiche, and the obligatory duet , this time with Emmylou Harris, is one of the best yet.

The Rolling Stones comparison is a fair one but at times the album casts its net wider, the opening track "Ashes to Ashes" slightly remniscent of an early eighties goth-rock sound, heaven forbid!. "The Truth" is in the same territory as some of Johnny Cash's excellent latter work and "The Kind" could easily have been on "Guitar Town".

If you haven't got any Steve Earle albums this would be a very good one to start with. The only criticism is that it is as short as an old fashioned vinyl album, (which is a good length, lets face it,) but strangely seems unobtainable on vinyl.

The album is kick started by the dark and edgy rock song Ashes to Ashes. A song about the temporary nature of world domination from the dinosaurs to the American world power. Steve's lyrics are a harsh drawl over some very powerful guitar work. In Amerika v6.0 we get a political tune about the defeciencies in the American system from government to HMO ( health care ) all sung over a riff borrowed from the Stones Satisfaction.

The song John Walker's blues was much criticised and mailgned in the USA by many who did not understand it. The song dealing with the so called 'American Taliban' is however a thoughtful insight into what made him do what he did. It neither supports or condems John Walker Lindh but rather seeks to understand. Although it does go some way to question much of the materialistic American way that drove him to Islam. An excellent and insightful song sung over a funereal paced accoustic guitar.

The rest of the album offers more traditional Steve Earle fare. The Kind and What's a Simple Man To Do are catchy country based tunes that could sit happily on any Steve Earle album. The Truth is a superb song about a prison inmate and features some excellent tight banjo work. Go Amanda is a seventies style rock song with a great catchy chorus.

I Remember You is a wonderful sentimental ballad ( a chick song as Mr Earle would say ) that features a duet with the excellent Emmylou Harris. A song to rank up there with Goodby and Valentines Day. Shadowland is another Earle rocker that really bites.

Finally Jerusalem is a softer but superb song offering hope and light at the end of the tunnel and is a fiiting conclusion to a somewhat dark and hard edged album. All in all I would say it ranks with El Corazon for variety and tightness but overall I belive it is even better. Perhaps his best yet.

The only downside is the rather short running time of 38 minutes. But this is not enough to prevent a well deserved 5 star rating.