Search - Steve Earle :: Exit 0

Great 1987 Follow-Up to Guitar Town

03/15/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"During a 1986 tour stop in New York City, Earle sat for an interview with Rolling Stone and promised his next album was "already 3/4 written" and would be "more political." Released in early 1987 with virtually no label support due to his increasing dependence on addictive drugs, Earle pushed "Exit 0" sales into the six-figure realm through relentless touring and word of mouth. Earle had been performing some of the escapist-themed tunes here - "The Week of Living Dangerously," "Sweet Little 66," and the haunting "Number 29" for more than a year, and the masterful farm anthem "The Rain Came Down" was added "strictly out of guilt 'cause no one at Farm Aid knew who I was." There is heightened restlessness ("I Ain't Ever Satisfied") alongside youthful exhuberance ("San Antonio Girl") sometimes placing the listener in a quandry, but only because Earle's tautly-drawn characters are so believable. Producer Richard Bennett's trademark 6-string bass is not as prominent, which was probably a signpost of Earle's desire to venture into rock territory on future projects. Regardless of which camp he intended to visit, Exit 0 makes for a most interesting stop."

Ladies and gentlemen, the astonishing Steve Earle

Catherine S. Vodrey | East Liverpool, Ohio United States | 03/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Not only the album title, "Exit 0" but also the opening cut, "Nowhere Road," testify to what many assumed to be Steve Earle's ultimate destination for so long. Now cleaned up and apparently doing well--both creatively and personally--Earle fought so many demons for so long that most folks assumed this prodigiously talented musician and composer would end up dead in a ditch by the side of the road. Perhaps mindful of this possibility, Earle works the road metaphor here and mines continual and astonishing riches out of it. "Nowhere Road" admits, "I push that road from here to someday/I'll push as long as I'm alive, but I don't know how long I'll last . . . I know I'm going way too fast." "Sweet Little '66" is Buddy Holly-inspired ode to a favorite Chevy and the rest of the songs mostly have to do with roads, traveling, hotels--anything to get away from the here and now. The rest of the songs are just as good. Earle shows flashes of sly humor here, too--it's not all serious "poor me, I have to get away" stuff. On "The Week of Living Dangerously," he talks about taking off from his wife and kids--eventually even throwing the baby's car seat in a Dumpster so he can go off and have an unimpeded, uninterrupted good time!"

An American Treasure You Must Own

Catherine S. Vodrey | 02/24/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Exit 0, and its predecessor Guitar Town are two of the best examples of Singer/Songwriting in American music - simple as that. Even if the rock-a-billy style isn't your thing, Steve Earle writes poetry about living in rural America that should strike a chord with everyone. Grab these records while you can - in 20 yrs. you'll be glad you did."