Dylan, Taylor, Stills, even Wainwright. All of these legendary
songwriters have sons who write songs and release albums. All of these men, I’d bet, quietly wish their boys would’ve been lawyers or painters or car salesmen. Not the case with Steve Earle, whose son, Justin Townes Earle, released his second straight excellent studio record, Midnight at the Movies, in as many years.

For his debut, 2008’s The Good Life, Earle came out sounding nothing like his dad, instead channeling Hank Williams and his dad’s best friend, Townes Van Zandt (also Justin’s godfather). Lean and straight, the album’s ten originals made for one of 2008’s most promising and developed debuts, sounding more authentic and honest than most young men his age. Midnight takes a sandy shuffle forward, aping less from his obvious influences and sounding more unique - if a slight bit less accessible. The arrangements here are a bit deeper, adding strings, pedal steel and players everywhere. But no, this is no grand production; like it’s predecessor, Midnight sounds like the kind of record that could’ve been recorded in a single day - live in a studio lost somewhere in the dusty South.

Here we get to also see a bit more of who Earle, the man, is. He’s the kind of guy who goes to bed when he’s out of cigarettes and spent his teen years taking pills and inking his body. “Mama’s Eyes,” in particular, is confessional. Here Earle shares secrets about himself and his parents, painting his mother as his inspiration and his dad - whether he likes it or not - as his biggest life influence. The album’s title track works as a mellow introduction, painting Earle as the kind of wanderer who’d be just fine in a theater alone - but only if his dream girl quietly appears around midnight, only to leave before the credits roll. Midnight offers one cover tune, a version of The Replacements’ classic “Can’t Hardly Wait.” Earle here sounds more sad than celebratory, plucking his way through a subtle yet warm arrangement made to grow on ears already familiar with the song.

Brief and efficiently played and recorded, Midnight at the Movies is a
stellar sophomore album that works to help fans further fall for its
maker. Earle sounds so sincere, unpretentious and modest that the lack of musical growth doesn’t bother. They could rock things up, surely, or even get a bit weird. But, at this point in his career, that’s just not what Justin Townes Earle is about. He can’t be bothered to bet more chips than necessary, never taking a single extra strum or
howling too loud. As long as the tunes are this good, his growing
fanbase should be just fine with his gentle strums, occasional boot
scoots and warm, confessional singing.