I Feel Alright

by Steve Earle

Overview

Steve Earle quietly announced he was back in action and capable of making substantial, heartfelt music again with his 1994 acoustic album Train a Comin', but on 1995's I Feel Alright Earle showed he was truly back in fighting shape, and from the album's first moments he sounds ready to roar and holds nothing back. While Earle's battle with drug abuse and his brief stay in prison aren't explicitly addressed on this album (except on the harrowing "CCKMP," in which Earle confesses "cocaine cannot kill my pain" and "heroin is the only thing/the only gift the darkness brings"), the hurt brought to himself and others by his betrayals runs through many of these songs, sometimes with humor ("Hard Core Troubadour"), sometimes with regret ("Valentine's Day"), and sometimes with a painful self-awareness ("Hurtin' Me, Hurtin' You" and "The Unrepentant"). But I Feel Alright isn't about addiction and loss so much as recovery and starting over again, and if the songs often concern Earle's misdeeds, the strength of the music finds him confronting his demons without flinching and conjuring up some of the powerfully muscular rock and affecting country of his life. And like Train a Comin', I Feel Alright shows Earle finding the courage and confidence to make a record just the way he wants, and this may be Earle's finest hour in the studio -- the production is tough, resonant, and a perfect match for the material, the players bring their A game without showboating, and Earle's rough but passionate vocals are pure, honest, and direct on every cut. I Feel Alright affirmed that Steve Earle's brush with oblivion had not only failed to silence him, but he was a more courageous artist when he came out the other side, and no one who has heard this record is likely to argue that point. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	03/05/1996
Label:	Warner Records
UPC:	0093624620129

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Steve Earle   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Harmonica
Lucinda Williams   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
Ray Kennedy   Guest Artist,Guitar
The Fairfield Four   Guest Artist,Vocals
Richard Grosjean   Violin
Logan   Vocals
Ric Kipp   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Kris Wilkinson String Section   Conductor
Dub Cornett   Percussion
Roy M. "Junior" Husky   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Robert Mason   Cello
Ken Moore   Organ
Carl Gorodetzky   Violin
Custer   Drums,Vocals,Percussion
Pamela Sixfin   Violin
Garry Tallent   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Greg Morrow   Drums,Percussion
Kelly Looney   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Richard Bennett   Guitar,Harmonica,Harmonium,Percussion
Mark Prentice   Musical Director
Rick Schell   Drums
Lee Larrison   Viola

Technical Credits

Dan Leffler   Assistant Engineer
James Bauer   Assistant Engineer
Terry Robertson   Design
Tony Fitzpatrick   Artwork
Kris Wilkinson String Section   Arranger,String Arrangements
Richard Sturtridge   Design,Collage
Nancy Lee Andrews   Photography
Steve Earle   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Lee Andrews   Photography
Richard Bennett   Producer
Peter Coleman   Engineer
Ray Kennedy   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Photography
Richard Dodd   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Lucinda Williams   Performer