Terraplane

"I'm howling like a gale, I'm whispering like a breeze," sings Steve Earle on Acquainted With the Wind, a track that has the chords of British Invasion belter and the feel of country blues jam, and, at age 60, the veteran American singer-songwriter has made the sheer breadth of his songwriting a strength.

Whether turning a 1950s-style Nashville duet with Eleanor Whitmore into a politely raucous confrontation on Baby's Just as Mean as Me or invoking Robert Johnson on the blues-based storytelling of The Tennessee Kid, Earle sounds relaxed, a stance enhanced by the arresting playing of The Dukes.

Social commentary is less prominent here, but Steve Earle's eye for detail remains sharp.

★★★

- CRAIG MATHIESON (of Fairfax Media)