Steve Earle: El Corazon

Steve Earle represents everything country music is supposed to stand for: Battle-scarred and world-weary, with a well-publicized troubled past and prison record to boot, Earle runs through a battery of roots-music styles on his new album, never stooping to cloying clichés or slick studio manipulation. Twangy and rough around the edges, his vocal delivery never sounds calculated, and you never know what musical approach he'll take next. Earle's new El Corazon is a messy, guest-star-intensive collection that dabbles in acoustic bluegrass ("I Still Carry You Around," which features The Del McCoury Band) and old-school, bare-bones ballads ("Christmas In Washington," the beautiful "Ft. Worth Blues"). But the record's best material is rooted in the dirty-fingered country-rock Earle has always done best. "NYC" is a downright ripping rocker, with some furious backing noise by The Supersuckers, while "Here I Am" presents pure, unadulterated Earle at his most fired-up and inspired. El Corazon even has one of the best male-female country duets in ages, "Poison Lovers," which features relative unknown Siobhan Kennedy. This isn't his most consistent release, but since when does Steve Earle make comfortable, predictable, easy-listening records