Musik / rock

Ghosts of West Virginia


Beskrivelse


Summary: In ten deftly drawn, roughly eloquent, powerfully conveyed sonic portraits, Earle and his longtime band the Dukes explore the historical role of coal mining in rural communities. More than merely a question of jobs and income, mining has provided a sense of unity and meaning, patriotic pride and purpose.
Summary: Featuring seven songs written for the documentary play Coal country by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen about the disaster at the Upper Big Branch Mine owned by Massey Energy which killed 29 out of 31 miners at the site.

Anmeldelser (3)


AllMusic

2020

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Mark Deming

2020

"Given his talents and inclinations, Earle was the ideal choice to write songs for Coal Country, a play written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen about the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster, in which 27 West Virginia coal miners lost their lives in 2010. There is a certain irony that Earle created a song cycle about the real costs of being a blue-collar worker in America in the 21st century for an off-Broadway play staged by New York's Public Theater, where the majority of people who lead the lives he's singing about will never see it. That said, that does nothing to change the emotional power and honesty of Earle's songs ...".


Rolling stone

d. 21. maj 2020

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Jonathan Bernstein

d. 21. maj 2020

"Earle's main talking point for Ghosts of West Virginia is that he wanted to try to bridge a political divide in making an album that spoke to people who vote differently than he does. If anything, Earle serves here as a trusted travel guide, offering a nuanced portrayal of a time and place (21st-century Appalachian mining) that likely feels a world away for the majority of his listeners".


Weekendavisen

d. 29. maj 2020

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Klaus Lynggaard

d. 29. maj 2020

"Steve Earle er vred, og det swinger hos den gamle countrydreng ... Over en små 20 lp'er har den efterhånden 65-årige Earle holdt stilen med et personligt udtryk, der blander stilarter som amerikansk og gælisk folk, bluegrass, hardcore country og rockabilly ... Folk, der er bekendt med Earles musik, vil hverken blive skuffede eller overraskede over Ghosts of West Virgina, det er den samme intense gryderet, han med små variationer har serveret i årevis ... Backingen leveres af hans faste band, The Dukes, og det swinger heftigt hele vejen igennem ... Ti seje sange er der kommet ud af samarbejdet".