On his previous two albums ( and Justin Townes Earle dealt with his troubled childhood. The 36-year-old Earle seems to have found his own place in the musical landscape by now. Kids In The Street is another old-fashioned band record where Earle's melancholic songs are colored by a solid backing band, tapping different styles. From a nice rock song to a beautiful girl in a leather jacket (Champagne
… Corolla) it goes to a real Nashville tear-jerk (What She's Crying For) and then pull hard again with a solid rhythm & blues song (15-25). For the title track, a penetrating acoustic ballad, Earle returns to his youth once more. So again variety is the order of the day with this thoroughbred American songsmith. (PdK)more
