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Townes is the 13th studio album by American singer-songwriter Steve Earle, released in 2009. It is an album on which he pays tribute to his friend and mentor, the late singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt by covering his songs.[3] According to a New West Records press release, "The songs selected for Townes were the ones that meant the most to Earle and the ones he personally connected to (not including selections featured on previous Earle albums). Some of the selections chosen were songs that Earle has played his entire career ("Pancho & Lefty", "Lungs" and "White Freightliner Blues") and others he had to learn specifically for recording.[4]
| Townes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 12, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Folk[1] | |||
| Length | 54:05 | |||
| Label | New West | |||
| Producer | Steve Earle | |||
| Steve Earle chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
Notable guest appearances on the album include Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave/Street Sweeper Social Club) playing electric guitar on "Lungs", and Earle's wife Allison Moorer singing backing vocals on "Loretta" and "To Live Is to Fly". Earle and his son, Justin Townes Earle trade verses on "Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold".[4] He is backed by The Bluegrass Dukes on "White Freightliner Blues" and "Delta Momma Blues".
This album won Best Contemporary Folk Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards.[5]
A two disc CD version included a subset of the songs performed solo by Earle. This bonus set was also released on vinyl for Record Store Day.[6]
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Disc One: Townes
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pancho & Lefty" | 4:02 | |
| 2. | "White Freightliner Blues" | 3:28 | |
| 3. | "Colorado Girl" | 3:35 | |
| 4. | "Where I Lead Me" | 3:30 | |
| 5. | "Lungs" | 2:19 | |
| 6. | "No Place To Fall" | 2:53 | |
| 7. | "Loretta" | 3:14 | |
| 8. | "Brand New Companion" | 5:12 | |
| 9. | "Rake" | 3:23 | |
| 10. | "Delta Momma Blues" | Van Zandt, Matthew Moore, Caddo Parish Studdard | 5:14 |
| 11. | "Marie" | 4:53 | |
| 12. | "Don't Take It Too Bad" | 3:12 | |
| 13. | "Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold" | 2:18 | |
| 14. | "(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria" | 3:20 | |
| 15. | "To Live Is To Fly" | 3:40 |
All tracks are written by Townes Van Zandt (except where noted)
Disc Two: The Basics
(included in 2-CD version)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pancho And Lefty" | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Where I Lead Me" | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Lungs" | 2:22 |
| 4. | "No Place To Fall" | 2:56 |
| 5. | "Loretta" | 3:14 |
| 6. | "Brand New Companion" | 5:12 |
| 7. | "Rake" | 3:22 |
| 8. | "Marie" | 4:49 |
| 9. | "Mr. Mudd And Mr. Gold" | 2:34 |
| 10. | "(Quicksilver Daydreams Of) Maria" | 3:15 |
| 11. | "To Live Is To Fly" | 3:36 |
All tracks are written by Townes Van Zandt
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- Steve Christensen - percussion, audio engineer
- Shad Cobb - fiddle
- Dennis Crouch - bass
- Justin Townes Earle - guitar, vocals
- Allison Moorer - vocals
- Tom Morello - electric guitar
- Greg Morrow - drums
- Tim O'Brien - mandolin
- Darrell Scott - banjo, resonator guitar
- John Spiker - electric bass
- Steve Earle - vocals, guitar, mandola, harmonica, harmonium
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 19 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums | 2 |
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