Uncut (p.98) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[E]ffortlessly flitting from Ray Price-like bar-room shuffles, to jazzy western swing, to sweet hushed balladry, he sounds like a natural."
Justin Townes Earle: JTE (vocals, guitars, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, harmonica).
Personnel: Cory Younts (mandolin, harmonica, background vocals); Bryn Davies (cello, acoustic bass, background vocals); Stan Wilson (piano, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Brian Owings (drums).
Recording information: Alex The Great; House Of David.
Born under the weight of two legendary country names, Justin Townes Earle had to deal with not only comparisons to his father Steve's still active career, but the legendary canon of his namesake, Townes Van Zandt. Wisely, Earle copies neither and delivers a strong, loose sophomore full-length, THE GOOD LIFE, that shores up his credentials as a major talent in his own right. With songs that swing from charming piano-plinked honky-tonk to heartfelt balladry, Earle pits himself squarely in the Texas neo-roadhouse tradition of Joe Ely and Butch Hancock--the kind of music made for and by country fans.