El Coraz¿¿n

by Steve Earle

Overview

Anyone who figured that Steve Earle's triumphant return to form on I Feel Alight was either a fluke or a burst of second wind attributable to his return to health got the message that Earle was back to stay with 1997's El Corazon. El Corazon isn't as consistently strong as I Feel Alright and lacks a bit of that album's thematic unity, but the high points connect just as powerfully, and the album kicks off with a tremendous one-two punch, the rousing acoustic ballad "Christmas in Washington" and "Taneytown," a harrowing story of race and violence backed with gale-force electric guitars. El Corazon is also a good bit more eclectic than much of Earle's previous work, dipping into bluegrass ("You Know the Rest," featuring backing from the Del McCoury Band), old-school country ("The Other Side of Town"), hard rock ("N.Y.C.," co-starring the Supersuckers, and "Here I Am"), and vintage R&B ("Telephone Road"). As its title suggests, El Corazon often deals with matters of the heart, expressed with particular eloquence on "Poison Lovers" and "If You Fall," though the song's most emotionally resonant moment comes with its closing song, "Ft. Worth Blues," a moving farewell to Earle's longtime friend and mentor Townes Van Zandt. Earle co-produced El Corazon with frequent studio partner Ray Kennedy, and the record sounds superb, with the vocals rich and the guitars potent, confirming that Earle is the best judge of his own recorded work. El Corazon isn't the instant classic that I Feel Alright was, but it's more than good enough to show that Earle was a major talent not about to go away, and it ranks with his most vital work. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/2021
Label:	Music On Cd
UPC:	8718627233085
Rank:	106599

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Steve Earle   Primary Artist,Mandolin,Harmonica,Harmonium,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (12 String),Guitar,Vocals,Mandola
Del McCoury   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Emmylou Harris   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
The Del McCoury Band   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
The Fairfield Four   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Supersuckers   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ray Kennedy   Guest Artist,Drums,Shaker,Harmonica,Harmonium,Tambourine
Siobhan Kennedy   Guest Artist,Vocals
Roy Huskey Jr.   Guest Artist,Bass
Jim Hoke   Sax (Baritone)
Ross Rice   Drums,Vocals
Mike Bub   Bass
Michael Kelsh   Vocals
Micheal Smotherman   Organ
Brad Jones   Bass,Vocals
Tommy Hannum   Guitar (Steel)
Justin Townes Earle   Guitar (Electric)
Dan Bolton   Guitar (Electric)
Jason Carter   Fiddle
Wilson Waters   Vocals
Eddie Spaghetti   Bass
Kelly Looney   Bass
Rob McCoury   Banjo
Mark Stuart   Vocals,Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic)
Ronnie McCoury   Vocals,Mandolin
Cheri Knight   Percussion
Robert Hamlett   Vocals
Dancing Eagle   Drums
Roy M. "Junior" Husky   Bass
David Steele   Guitar,Guitar (Electric)
Joseph Rice   Vocals
Renaldo Allegre   Guitar (Electric)
Brady Blade   Drums,Washboard,Percussion,Tambourine
Elisa Sanders   Percussion
James Hill   Vocals
Mike Bubb   Bass
Kathleen Cotter   Percussion
Issac Freeman   Vocals
Steve & Justin Earle   Guitar (Electric)

Technical Credits

Jon Dunleavy   Engineer,Recording
Ray Kennedy   Engineer,Mixing,Recording
Supersuckers   Performer
The Fairfield Four   Performer
Emmylou Harris   Performer
Twangtrust   Producer
Patrick Earle   Assistant Engineer
Del McCoury   Performer
Mark Prentice   Musician
Charles Sussman   Musician
Hank Williams   Mastering
Patrick Fisher   Assistant Engineer
Steve Earle   Composer,Lyricist