Sidetracks

"With the exception of two instrumentals," Steve explains, "these are not outtakes. They are, rather, stray tracks…that I am very proud of and that are either unreleased or underexposed."


Leave it to Steve Earle to unleash one of the most off-the-wall odds 'n' sods collections ever; it's also, by the way, one of the most satisfying. Except for two plucky instrumentals originally meant for Transcendental Blues, there are no outtakes here, just a batch of movie-soundtrack songs, demos, live takes, and previously unreleased tracks. They include the inspired, revelatory "Me and the Eagle" (from The Horse Whisperer); the credible white-boy reggae "Johnny Too Bad" with the V-Roys; a churning remake of Nirvana's "Breed"; a storming, camp-free duet with Sheryl Crow on the Chambers Brothers' psychedelic period piece "Time Has Come Today"; and a demo of "Ellis Unit One" with the Fairfield Four that sounds like a field recording made inside the prison walls. It all hangs together to rank this among Earle's finest albums. --John Morthland