Justin Townes Earle wore his soul on his sleeve. Tall and lanky, whip-smart and mischievous, his wry humor was always accompanied by a knowing grin. He brought you in. The rarified air he breathed is reflected in his namesakes, and he lived up to them.
But JTE also broke free of them, carving out his own artistry. Although he had his dad’s DNA in some respects — in particular, the fearless and restless parts — as a singer/songwriter, he was made from a different clay. Ranging from Piedmont blues to straight-up honky-tonk, his approach to acoustic guitar was all his. The same can be said of his vocals.
It’s difficult to convey how completely Justin was able to infuse his music with a quintessentially Nashville thing; an attitude of we’re all broken, so lighten up that one could almost call spiritual in nature. The relatable part masters like John Prine and Todd Snyder (and his dad), among others, possess. It’s what draws songwriters to Nashville like moths to a flame.
ALL IN: Unreleased & Rarities (The New West Years) is a labor of love compiled by Kim Buie and JTE’s friend and producer Adam Bednarik and features a two LP, 19-track set with 12 previously unreleased recordings and six never-before-heard songs written and recorded during Justin’s final years. A deluxe, limited, and numbered edition will be packaged with a 52-page hardbound book featuring unpublished images by the photographer Joshua Black Wilkins (who worked closely with Justin throughout his career). The book also includes liner notes written by Justin’s wife, Jenn Marie Earle, as well as new reminiscences by Wilkins, Bednarik, and Buie.
