Review Summary: Quite simply how a political concept album should be done. One of Earle's finest and a truly excellent album.
Since his dubious inception into the US Presidency in 2000 George W Bush has deserving or not, been faced with an onslaught of abuse from artists across the musical spectrum. Whether it be from self perpetuating American Idiots’ or middle aged men in punk rock bands attempting to utilise the political levy of “Rock” against the much reviled President. Its so to say to it is the most clichéd subject matter of the last seven years and despite the odd educated critique it is usually carried out with all the subtlety and grace of a shotgun to the head. So when you consider that on
Jerusalem Steve Earle attempted to combine such an overdone topic to country music, there’s a good chance this will be the most clichéd monstrosity ever crafted by man. I might not be American and I’ve never been to the south, but I just can’t get my head around what is so great about highways, Texas and Tennessee that make almost half of all country songs feel the need to mention one of them.
However as you might have guessed by the rating I have given Jerusalem, it is not even close to the aforementioned abomination. In fact it is a fantastic record, which is both relevant, educated and miraculously dodges almost everything I’ve mentioned so far. Since recovering from heroin addiction Earle went on to record much of his finest work to date, the pinnacle of which is this album recorded in 2002. Throughout his career he has received a total of 11 Grammy nominations and his maturity in song writing shines right through throughout
Jerusalem. Instrumentally there is all the usual country instruments; Steel Guitars, Harmonica’s, Banjo’s and so, most of which are played by Earle but mixed in are electric guitars tones and powering drum tracks. Essentially this is the closest Earle has ever got to a rock record, while it is still rooted in that deep south country feel, there are plenty of electrics and much in the way of crossover appeal.
Upon its released
Jerusalem received a furore of controversy for the song, “John Walker Blues.” The song tells the story of an American Taliban fighter captured in Afghanistan but tells the story from the perspective of the captured. Many in the conservative media accused Earle of sympathising with terrorists and some on the fringes even called for his arrest. The song itself is a simple affair, opting for the quiet/loud dynamic from the verses to chorus, it opens with the provocative,
“I'm just an American boy raised on MTV, and I've seen all those kids in the soda pop ads, But none of them looked like me, So I started looking around for a light out of the dim, And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word, Of Mohammed, peace be upon him.” Before breaking into a strangely uplifting chorus, the song ends with an Islamic prayer and although musically it is average by this album’s standards, it is lyrically excellent and definitely worth the listen if only to see what all the controversy was about.
“Look at ya, yeah, take a look in the mirror now tell me what you see. Another satisfied customer in the front of the line for the American dream. I remember when we was both out on the boulevard talking' revolution and singing the blues. Nowadays it's letters to the editor and cheating on our taxes is the best that we can do”
“Amerika v6.0” is again politically themed, noting the divisions in American society with Earle voicing his opinion that greed and money has destroyed the American dream. It is dominated by a catchy lead guitar riff and a clapping drum track which allows Earle to have his way lyrically. That and opener “Ashes to Ashes” are the strongest material here as is “Conspiracy Theory” with its beautiful almost Rhythm and Blues influenced chorus which dominates the track. However the real jewel in the crown is closer “Jerusalem” which is a contender for Earle’s greatest song ever written (even if it will take some doing to oust “Guitar Town”). It is just about the perfect pop song, combining country and rock perfectly. The only plucked guitar riff leads into a harmonica lead giving the song its traditional country music feel. For all the criticism and insight into the world “Jerusalem” finishes the album on a high with a positive outlook on the Middle East problem, at least as positive as is possible. Earle ends with the lines, “And there'll be no barricades then. “There'll be no wire or walls and we can wash all this blood from our hands and all this hatred from our souls.”
For those who are somewhat jaded with the political climate post 9/11 but want a little more intelligence than
Green Day might offer or simply anyone who enjoys country music in general,
Jerusalem is definitely an album worth looking into.
Recommended Songs
Jerusalem
Amerika v6.0
Conspiracy Theory
