Steve Earle’s ‘Train’ Reveals A Talented, Tortured Soul

Sun., Dec. 31, 1995

Jack Hurst Chicago Tribune

Country music ‘95

An acoustic collection by one of Nashville’s most rock-associated singer-songwriters fittingly leads a selection of albums illustrating the diverse strength of country music.

1. Steve Earle, “Train a-Comin”’ - Winter Harvest

Backed only by the mandolin, guitar and vocals of folksinger Peter Rowan, the guitar of Norman Blake, the standup bass of Roy Huskey and a vocal by Emmylou Harris, this riveting package is a proud, gravel-throated, devil-may-care paean from one of the most influential of Nashville’s younger singer-songwriters - and one of God’s more tortured souls.

2. Alison Krauss, “Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection” - Rounder

A lot of this package was previously released, but most of it was all-but-unheard in a commercial sense until it became 1995’s most out-of-left-field million seller. Showcasing the incredible talent of a strikingly virtuosic singer and awesome fiddler, this is one of the most memorable, most influential and most beautiful albums from any year.

3. Dwight Yoakam “Dwight Live” - Warner/ Reprise

Yoakam and his band came smokin’ into the Garfield Theatre in San Francisco on July 30, 1994, at the end of a long tour and, with a blazing 17-song set, all but burned the place down.

4. Lee Roy Parnell, “We All Get Lucky Sometimes” - Career/BMG

This is a breathtaking tour de force by a soulful singer and expert slide guitarist. Here he combines his macho explosiveness with some touchingly emotional slower songs.

5. Terri Clark, “Terri Clark” - Mercury

One of the more distinctive female debuts in recent memory, this is the “turbo-trad” sound of Nashville’s First Female Hat Act, a Canadian-born dynamo with a lot of traditional fire and a dash of contemporary cool.

6. 4Runner, “4Runner” - Polydor

Anyone laboring under the misconception that quartet music - the sound of such people as the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers - is dated, hasn’t heard this remarkably dramatic debut, which has an edge that could be at home on stage with Yoakam.

7. Kevin Welch, “Life Down Here on Earth,” - Dead Reckoning Records

The music on this record by one of Nashville’s most striking, folkishly progressive singer-songwriters kicks like a 12-gauge shotgun while its lyrics present sensitive yet masculine poetry.

8. The Cox Family, “Beyond the City” - Rounder

This Louisiana father and three of his extraordinary children here give the world their second nationally distributed acoustic CD, and it’s another treasure.

9. Helen Darling, “Helen Darling” - Decca

Garth Brooks, Delbert McClinton and Lee Roy Parnell all saw fit to appear on this album, and they don’t do that for just anybody.

10. John Berry, “O Holy Night” - Capitol Nashville

For years now the huge-voiced Berry has been singing these seasonal favorites in a special yuletide performance in his hometown church.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.