By the time Earle cut his 1986 debut, Guitar Town, country’s “outlaw” movement was in decline, though its architects (Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson et al) had successfully challenged Nashville’s sequined orthodoxy with their rockier sound and rebel spirit. Here, Earle pays homage to the outlaws with a dozen fine originals, from noisy guitar rock-outs like the title track (with a guest spot from Nelson) and the bleak Fixin’ to Die, to gentle loser ballads such as You Broke My Heart and This Is How it Ends (a duet with Miranda Lambert), ending with Goodbye Michelangelo, a tender farewell to the late Guy Clark.
