Steve Earle - Live From Austin, TX (New West/Universal Music Canada)

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Recorded during Steve Earle's Austin City Limits appearance in 2000, I can't think of a better time to take a snapshot of an artist who has been through so much in his lifetime. His Transcendental Blues studio album that year was (and still is) one of the best works of his career and is well represented among the 15 tracks here. While I'm still a fan of Earle's recent music, I've found his records since Transcendental Blues haven't been nearly as consistent or compelling of a listen.

The CD leads off with the trio of tracks which begins the Transcendental Blues record and although the title track seems a tad draggy in terms of tempo, Earle and his group pick up their pace and hit their stride by the time they launch into third track Another Town.

Vintage Earle songs like Hard-Core Troubadour, The Devil's Right Hand, Goodbye and the obligatory Copperhead Road have survived the test of time well, sounding as fresh at this show as they did at any point during the past. Ending with the poignant Christmas In Washington (from 1997's excellent El Corazon), the track has been stretched out to 9 minutes; Earle's outspoken (and sometimes comical) political commentary occupies the first three and a half minutes of the track before he launches into the track with some additional lyrics not found on the original acoustic track.

Although his vocals are a little muddy at times (with his Dylan-esque mumble taking centre stage on a few occasions), this remains a fine show from a classic rock-country outlaw. And for those who prefer the visual aspect over audio-only, this very same show is also available on DVD.