Steve Earle
Copperhead Road (Deluxe Edition) (disc 1)

THE REVIEW

1988: fresh off two albums with good commercial success but at odds with his record label, grappling with heroin addiction, and eager to experiment with new sounds, Steve Earle, an restless and rebellious country rocker born 54 years ago in Fort Monroe, Virginia, releases his third album, "Copperhead Road": behind a decidedly flashy cover hides an explosive mix of different styles and sounds, destined to achieve a spectacular and unexpected success in sales and critical acclaim.

2008: to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its release, "Copperhead Road" is reissued in a deluxe edition, and this time it is not a commercially uninteresting operation like many others of this kind, but a golden opportunity to get to know this artist not only through his greatest discographic expression but also as a performer, thanks to the brilliant addition of a real live album, undoubtedly much more beautiful and interesting than the more or less useless bonus tracks added at the tail end of the tracklist.

The inviting scent of a masterpiece is already detectable from the first notes of the title track that opens the album: an almost exotic, mysterious atmosphere that immediately bursts into a measured, imposing composition, of great evocative power, also thanks to Steve Earle's gritty and raspy voice, more than ever suited to sing the stories of the farmer-smuggler protagonist of the song. Barely a moment to catch your breath and the tone changes completely with the cheerful and carefree country of "Snake Oil", with a text that ridicules the promises of politicians, and then the dirty rock, à la Rolling Stones, of "Back To The Wall", with the guitar and drums pressing, chasing, and scratching in the pounding chorus masterfully interpreted by Earle: three songs and three completely different styles.

It cannot be said that "Copperhead Road" is a predictable album, but the best comes with the deadly duo of "The Devil's Right Hand"-"Johnny Come Lately"; the first, which deals with the typically American theme of obsession with firearms, is in my opinion the true shining point of the album, a formidable folk song just stiffened by guitars, which immediately gets stuck in your head with the overwhelming force of a hit, while the second, played with none other than the Pogues (and you can hear it), is an irresistible Irish rock that narrates the events of an American pilot during World War II. After these five wonders, the album maintains excellent levels with the rock ballads "Even When I'm Blue", "You Belong To Me", "Waiting On You", and "Once Your Love", until it reaches "Nothing But A Child", a beautiful Christmas-themed ballad that closes the album in a completely unexpected and brilliant way.

The live album added to this deluxe edition (78 minutes in total) is divided into two parts: the first 11 tracks, recorded in 1987 in Raleigh, North Carolina, open, not by chance, with a captivating "The Devil's Right Hand" and explore the more country repertoire of Steve Earle, that of the albums "Guitar Town" and "Exit 0", offering great songs, catchy and wonderfully interpreted like "Fearless Heart", "Continental Trallways Bus", "San Antonio Girl", "The Week Of Living Dangerously" a couple of covers ("Wheels" and the impressive folk song "Brown And Root"), a "Johnny Come Lately" in a slower, bare, almost singer-songwriter version and finally a languid and heartfelt ballad of the caliber of "It's All Up To You", while the remaining six tracks, recorded in Calgary in '89 offer exceptional covers like the introspective "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen and the captivating "Dead Flowers" by the Stones, but also the poignant folk ballad "Little Sister", along with a "Copperhead Road" made even more imposing and granite, the pleasant AOR diversion of "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" and, dulce in fundo, the driving country rock of "Guitar Town", the ideal soundtrack over which the closing credits of this wonderful show roll.

In conclusion, "Copperhead Road" deluxe edition is the right tribute to the career of this eclectic and brave artist, and additionally offers the advantage of two masterpieces for the price of one, an advantage made even more considerable by the fact that "The Devil's Right Hand" alone would be enough to justify all twenty euros of expenditure.

A must-have.