Townes Van Zandt fans?

Understand Steve Earle has just released his tribute to Townes Van Zandt simply called "Townes". Haven't had a chance to get this recording, but if anybody should do a tribute to Townes it's Steve Earle as Steve was most certainly a protégé of Townes Van Zant.

Btw here's a short review from the Dallas - Fort Worth Times.

"Steve Earle dedicating an entire album to the late Townes Van Zandt should elicit the same response as when Dwight Yoakam finally cranked out a full CD of the late Buck Owens' tunes. It's about time!

Earle could be called the Townes Van Zandt of his generation, a self-destructive singer-songwriter who lived every word he wrote. The difference is Earle saved himself just in time while Van Zandt succumbed to his excesses.

Comprising hand-picked covers, Townes certainly will resonate with Earle devotees. Tracks such as "To Live Is to Fly," "Lungs," "Where I Lead Me" and the classic "Pancho and Lefty" are honored in stripped-down form, just as Van Zandt did them. After a while, however, the weight of such sobering material can seem too much to bear.

Still, as tributes go, "Townes" is sincere and compelling. It befits both men."

... and this is review from the Houston Press. Guess I'm going to buy this recording this weekend.

"Considered by many to be the best Americana songwriter, living or dead, Townes Van Zandt certainly never made it the way Steve Earle has. But on Townes, Earle mines Van Zandt's prolific songbook to pay homage as only a true student of the master could. Shrewdly observing that Van Zandt's work couldn't stand (and doesn't need) much tinkering, Earle keeps "Pancho and Lefty" and "White Freight Liner Blues" solidly true to Van Zandt's originals. When Earle does depart from the Townes formula, though, the results are magnificent; "No Place To Fall" and "Loretta" have a lilting Irish elegance, and "Brand New Companion" also pays homage to Lightnin' Hopkins, whom both Earle and Van Zandt studied like biblical scholars scouring the Dead Sea Scrolls. The dark and tragic "Marie" pours out of Earle like a deathbed confession, and the poetic "Rake" seems to have a timeless connection with the ancient. Townes's clever poker paean "Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold" is putty in Earle's hands, and "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria" is the type of dazzling love song that has become a signature part of Earle's own repertoire. Townes is undoubtedly a true-north homage done with loving care and reverence, but by the time it's over, listeners realize just how much influence van Zandt had on Earle's own writing, delivery and, ultimately, his higher-profile career."