10 Perfect Country Music Albums With No Bad Songs
7. Guitar Town - Steve Earle
A lot of the early days of country tended to be centered around the outlaws of the world. Whether or not they had actually seen the inside of a jailcell, the characters and singers behind these tracks felt more like troubadours moving from one town to the next, raising hell and casually breaking hearts with whoever is in their path. Even as the era of Garth was about to come in, Steve Earle gave us one more sendoff for the outlaws on Guitar Town.
Being a veteran of the songwriting game for a while, this was the first time many people got to see Earle up close and personal, looking like a seasoned veteran of the genre already. Across every song on here, you can practically hear the beers flowing in the background, as he talks about wandering around the USA and never really finding a real home anywhere.
Though there is a bit of a rock bounce to a lot of these tracks, the real shining moments come when he strips everything down to just him and a few acoustic guitars, like on Little Rock n Roller when he tries to make peace with his young kid that he's not getting to see grow up. Because even though the life of an outlaw sounds tough at the beginning, your heart can never really steer clear of the consequences.