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SIDETRACKS contains previously unreleased songs, music from film soundtracks and alternate versions.
Personnel includes: Steve Earle (vocals, acoustic guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, harmonica, harmonium); Ray Kennedy (guitar); Liz Kane, Yvonne Kane (fiddle); Charlie Chadwick (cello, upright bass); Brad Jones (bass); Patrick Earle, Will Rigby (drums, percussion); Brady Blade (drums); Sheryl Crow, Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, The Supersuckers, The Fairfield Four, Sharon Shannon, Abbie Hoffman.
Recorded at Room & Board, Nashville, Tennessee.
Once you've been around the block as many times as Steve Earle, producing as many great albums for others as you make for yourself, you've safely earned a rarities compilation like SIDETRACKS, which neatly gathers hard-to-find and previously unreleased material from various shadowy corners of Earle's career. Listening to the blistering cover of Nirvana's "Breed," the entirely convincing take on the reggae classic "Johnny Too Bad," and the pure, chiming power pop of the opening track "Some Dreams," it's hard to understand why Earle is considered a country artist. A reminder comes with the plain-folks storytelling gift demonstrated on "Ellis Unit One," a narrative worthy of Bruce Springsteen's NEBRASKA, and the draft-dodger tale "My Uncle." Earle pays tributes to both the pop and roots corners of his country-rock heritage with covers of the Dylan-via-Byrds "My Back Pages" and the Little Feat doper/trucker's anthem "Willin'."
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Pop
