Vintage Review: Steve Earle’s Jerusalem (2002)

A month or so before the release of Jerusalem, Steve Earle’s 10th album, some shrill jackass of an alleged journalist took the artist to task over his song “John Walker’s Blues.” Seems that Earle’s use of the creative process in an attempt to figure out exactly how the “American Taliban” had gotten into the predicament that he found himself in was tantamount to treason in the eyes of the New York Post. The unrepentant reporter dialed up Nashville radio talk show hosts Steve “Love It Or Leave It” Gill and Phil “Corporate Shill” Valentine for their two cents worth, quoting the two right-wing gasbag’s observations on Earle’s song, his career, and his unpatriotic insolence.

Valentine carried his crusade against Earle onto the airwaves with his daily radio gabfest, ignorantly misunderstanding both the song’s intent and Earle’s (successful) career path. Only Grant Alden, editor of the alt-country journal No Depression, stood as the voice of reason, calmly and intelligently explaining the song’s purpose and relevance in both the original New York Post article and on local Nashville television. “John Walker’s Blues” is not, in my mind, one of Earle’s best songs, but it is one of his most heartfelt. Earle obviously looked at his own teenage son and wondered what it is about American culture that would drive an otherwise “normal” kid like John Walker Lindh to embrace radical Islamic thought.

Steve Earle’s Jerusalem

The song is part of the theme that runs throughout Jerusalem, the idea that America is broken in more ways than we care to count and that it is up to us to demand change. Jerusalem is Earle’s most political collection yet, a poetic overview of American society on the brink of disaster. Unlike Bruce Springsteen’s over-hyped and much lauded The Rising album, which also looks at a post-September 11th country, Earle doesn’t focus on feel-good stories of heroism or memories of bitter losses on that fateful day. Rather, Jerusalem offers the cold slap of reason, a stark reminder of what we’ve got to lose as a country. The songs here paint a bleak picture and ask some hard questions.

Jerusalem opens with the rocking “Ashes To Ashes,” a Biblically apocalyptic story of life and death, rebirth and retribution that reminds us that nothing lasts forever. The growing economic and cultural chasm between the rich and the rest of us is handled with great insight on “Amerika v. 6.0 (The Best We Can Do).” “Conspiracy Theory” touches upon the Kennedy and King assassinations and the Viet Nam war, comparing the turbulent ‘60s to the current storm clouds on the horizon while “The Truth” boils down the complex issue of crime and punishment to a single prisoner’s haunting perspective. The Mexican dance hall vibe of “What’s A Simple Man To Do” belies the sad nature of the tale, that of a Maquiladora factory worker forced by desperation to smuggle drugs across the border with tragic results. The gentle memories of “I Remember You” are bolstered by the presence of the angelic Emmylou Harris; her trembling vocals perfectly matched with Earle’s gruff baritone. “Shadowland” rocks like Guitar Town-era Earle while the title track closes Jerusalem, the song serving as a beacon of hope and renewal, offering up the promise of peace in a troubled world.

Not since “Little Steven” Van Zandt challenged the status quo with a pair of excellent mid-80s albums that questioned the “Reagan revolution” has a major American musician delivered such scorching political and social commentary on record. Unlike Rage Against The Machine, Corporate Avenger, or dozens of like-minded and politically oriented artists (mostly coming from a punk background), Earle doesn’t trade in over-amped hyperbole, tired rhetoric and mindless sloganeering on Jerusalem. Earle’s lyrics are complex in their simplicity, hewing closer to Woody Guthrie or Bruce Springsteen in their ability to put a human face on tragedy, alienation and frustration.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Jerusalem has been praised by some critics and whitewashed by many more who are unwilling to embrace it as a major work, the first great protest album of the new century. Earle sums it up best in his own liner notes to Jerusalem, written on the 4th of July, when he states that “we are a people perpetually balanced on a tightrope stretched between our history and our potential.” Luckily, we have artists such as Steve Earle to keep us focused on the prize. (E Squared/Artemis Records, released September 24th, 2002)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™