“Lord I'm going uptown to the Harlem River to drown,” he opens the album with a jaunty gospel song about a man dancing his way to his suicide. The protagonist is dancing his way down the street, knowing he has come to the end of what he can accomplish in this life, telling his loved ones “I'm no fool mama, I know the difference between tempted and choosing my fate.” Earle's newly adopted hometown, New York City, takes a front seat on this album, and it creates an interesting juxtaposition with the vocals and the arrangements, because Earle makes New York City sound like the new capitol of 1930's Alabama. When he sings that he is working for the MTA, it could well be the latest government project designed to give desperate share-croppers jobs, instead of a 21st Century subway. Roger's Park is a dark and atmospheric study of empty loneliness. While his sad ballads are arguably some of his best, Earle does not let them stand in the way of his Hank Williams styled humor. “Move Over Mama,” contains the Williams-worthy line “You've been sleeping in the middle of the bed for to long.” “Learning to Cry” is the kind of heart broke by a worthless woman song that Johnny Cash excelled in early on. “Now I have always been a fool for a conversation and a couple of smokes,” Earle acknowledges in “Christchurch Woman, “And when I'm feeling this blue I just need someone to laugh at my jokes.” “Ain't Waiting,” is a tongue and cheek tribute to slacking in the vein of Robert Earl Keen's “Something That I Do.” “Slipin and Slidin” is a dark and bluesy song that lays down a lazy fog of depression. He closes the album out with a brief return tot he rough, gospel chorus of the title track.
In “Wanderin'” Earle sings “well I'm just a lonely traveler and I don't know where I'm bound, but if I keep on moving then I know that I'll be found.” The song itself is a bluegrass-light gospel tune, in the vein of Ricky Skaggs, but the sentiment itself applies equally to Earle's music. Harlem River Blues is a vast departure from his earlier albums, yet it is still easily recognizable as a Justin Townes Earl album. As he hits his stride in his career, his album have become more distinctive and increasingly self-assured. Harlem River Blues is Earle's best album to date, and strong evidence that he is one of the best artists of his generation.
You can support Justin Townes Earle by purchasing this album at Amazon | iTunes.
If you prefer your music to be more than ones and zeroes, you can purchase a CD copy at Amazon | Vinyl.
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