Sidetracks
Leave it to Steve Earle to unleash one of the most off-the-wall odds 'n' sods collections ever; it's also, by the way, one of the most satisfying. Except for two plucky instrumentals originally meant forTranscendental Blues, there are no outtakes here, just a batch of movie-soundtrack songs, demos, live takes, and previously unreleased tracks. They include the inspired, revelatory "Me and the Eagle" (fromThe Horse Whisperer); the credible white-boy reggae "Johnny Too Bad" with theV-Roys; a churning remake ofNirvana's "Breed"; a storming, camp-free duet withSheryl Crowon theChambers Brothers' psychedelic period piece "Time Has Come Today"; and a demo of "Ellis Unit One" with theFairfield Fourthat sounds like a field recording made inside the prison walls. It all hangs together to rank this among Earle's finest albums.--John Morthland