Joe Ely Album Review:
TRACK LIST at 2006-03-25
Various Artists / Folk SelectsTrack Title 1. Maybe -- Alison Krauss 2. One Endless Night -- Jimmie Dale Gilmore 3. Around This Corner -- Sarah Harmer 4. In My Hands -- Natalie MacMaster 5. All Just To Get To You -- Joe Ely 6. Horseshoe Lounge -- Slaid Cleaves 7. Jack Of Diamonds -- Tarbox Ramblers 8. When I Close My Eyes -- Rhonda Vincent 9. Sign Of Truth -- Tish Hinojosa 10. Dont Rush Me -- Juliana Hatfield 11. My Life -- Robert Lee Castleman 12. Blue In The Heart -- Irma Thomas 13. More Of You -- Laura Love 14. Never Give Up On Me -- Jann Arden

Joe Ely Album Review:
Highlights from Elys two Hightone LPs at 2004-08-01
During a brief intermission from his work with MCA, Texas country iconoclast Joe Ely recorded a fine pair of LPs for the Oakland, CA based indie, Hightone. Both 1987s Lord of the Highway and 1988s Dig All Night captured a maturing artist whod not only recorded a groundbreaking West Texas classic with The Flatlanders, but waxed a half-dozen solo albums and toured with The Clash through Europe. By the late-80s, having taken four years off from recording, the rock inflections in Elys music drove him towards the sort of roots-rock Springsteen eventually used to fill arenas, and artists like Rodney Crowell and Steve Earle discovered from the country side. The result can sound a bit dated at times (e.g., the plodding drums and synthesizer lines of Rich Man, Poor Boy), but Elys prowess as a songwriter easily makes up for this. This single disc smartly excerpts the original pair of LPs, capturing both the better-known songs that have stuck in his live repertoire, as well as less-known albums tracks. Highlights include the Western-hues of Row of Dominoes and Me and Billy the Kid, the cathartic romance of Settle For Love, a twangy cover of Merle Haggards White Line Fever, and a duet with Rosie Flores on Love and Danger. This enhanced CD includes a video of My Baby Thinks Shes French. Fans who dont have the original pair of LPs (both of which are still in print, by the way) will find this to be an excellent addition to their collection of Elys recordings.


Joe Ely Album Editorial:
Joe Ely started his musical career in the early seventies by forming The Flatlanders with high school buddies Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. During the bands 30-year hiatus all three members forged on to become three of Texas most respected singer/songwriters. Joe signed with MCA in the late seventies and released several ambitious albums including Live Shots recorded during his European tour with The Clash. In 1987 HighTone Records signed Joe and produced two fantastic comeback records reviving his career. With his influence being felt by the new breed of country neo-traditionalists MCA resigned Ely in the nineties. Joe continues to record and tour and recently achieved his biggest sales success as one-third of the Flatlanders along with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock.

Joe Ely Album Review:
fabulous at 2003-09-17
Joe has never been one of my absolute favourites. Heýs done some really good work, but never made it all the way. Until now. Streets of sin easily puts him up on my top ten of the best albums this year. Every song is a potent hit single and I recommend it to anyone who loves rock and country.
Joe Ely Album Review:
A fine 48 minutes of typical Ely... at 2005-07-09
This CD has ten new songs written by Joe, and two by his friend Butch Hancock. It is as good in its own way as Letter To Laredo or his early record, Honky Tonk Masquerade. If you are already a fan and dont have this one yet, go ahead. As an introduction to Ely, who has had a long career without quite making it to the top of the heap, it will also serve. Joe is, to me, a rock/folk/country/blues/rockabilly almalgam. His intelligence and independence and Lubbock-area roots infuse his albums and make them special. He must be wonderful on stage, but he is good enough in the studio most of the time. This one is a success.
Joe Ely Album Review:
SORRY JOE BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME ....BORING ! at 2004-12-26
I am a fan of Joe Ely but this cd is boring lack luster no spark with sterile production, stick with love and danger or live at liberty lunch cds that is the Joe Ely with grit and soul that kicks ass ! J.B.
Joe Ely Album Review:
Let the Poor Boy In! at 2004-11-21
Joe Ely has been one of my favorite outlaw country musicians for a good number of years now. On Streets of Sin, his skills as a master storyteller are polished like a fine diamond. My favorite cut is the title track with its slower pace, searing electric lead guitar, Joel Guzmans organ given a haunting quality to the music, and a theme of request for forgiveness, Would you open your screen, let a poor boy in, if I come back home off the streets of sin. The song could be interpreted as one asking to be taken back by his old hometown, a lover or even a cry for forgiveness to the Creator. Its a sterling track. The Butch Hancock-penned opener Fightin for My Life turns up the tempo full throttle in the best tradition of outlaw rock. A Flood on Our Hands is a great ballad about a family dealing with rising waters. Thats Why I Love You Like I Do is another of my favorites with a great traditional feel, Because you knew I needed laughter, because it heals the wounded fool, because you saw the near hereafter, thats why I love you like I do. This is an excellent and consistently strong set from Joe Ely. Enjoy!
Joe Ely Album Review:
What a surprise this was.. at 2004-03-31
I just picked this up yesterday afternoon and Im still listening. Having never heard Joe Ely before, I listened to some samples based on an Amazon recommendation. That was enough to get me hooked but when I actually heard the whole album...well, lets just say that Ive got another favorite. I agree with another reviewer who said that every song is a potential hit, but lets talk about the opener Fightin For My Life a second. Just listen to the lyrics. Go ahead, just click the sample button up there and take 30 seconds to hear what youve been missing. Also, I love the its gonna be a rough night out tonight, I know the kung-fu bit. When I hear something like that, I just have to smile. The next track Im On The Run Again is classic outlaw-country at its best. This sounds like it could have been a huge hit back in the Waylon/Willie days. VERY good.I honestly cant find one weak track on the whole album. To say the least, this guy is great. Its not everyday that I pick up on something this good and Ive got some serious backtracking to do here. Im wishing that I had picked up The Flatlanders Wheels of Fortune to go along with it. In fact, I think I will. Highly reccommended.


Joe Ely Album Editorial:
There are no real surprises on Elys first solo album of new material in six years but thats no putdown. His tried-and-true West Texas sound with a tad more organ than usual seems to benefit from the studio sabbatical (interrupted only by his role in the Flatlanders). The opening Fightin for My Life certainly has a harder edge than many recent rockers for instance; and while his protagonists continue as always to try to fight nature to a draw (A Flood on Our Hands) to run harder than ever just to stay a step ahead of their own shadows (Streets of Sin) or to simply get by (All That You Need) theres a humane snarl accompanying their struggles that the singer hasnt unleashed in some time. All roads may lead back to those dusty windy plains but Ely evokes the terrain and the lives it shapes with the intensity of his earliest and best work. John Morthland