This long standing Tennessee-based duo comprises Steve Earle's younger sister and her second husband and ex-Duke. They've been an item for 20 years now and still manage to clock up hundreds of shows every year.
For a couple who have been together for this long it's strange that this record sounds so much like two solo albums rolled into one rather than a real collaboration.
This is perhaps due to the fact that the contrast between the two voices is so marked; Stuart's is gruff and growly while Earle's is more tender and tremulous.
As a result he sounds much far more grumpy and world-weary than she does, like on the title track where he paints a less than glowing picture of life on the road with the "same old failures and the drunk in the crowd".
The hard touring schedule is documented a little more positively in Little Rock, in which Stuart makes a check list of some of the numerous places they've played in the States.
Coming to terms with loss is one of the album's key themes and explains the title. It is dedicated to late musicians Joe Mullins and Harley Allen and to Mark Stuart's older brother Larry who recently died of cancer
One song of mortality, although also the most atypical track, is The Flag; a part sung, part spoken narrative by Stacey told from the point of view of a military mother recounting memories of her son from birth to death.
The other strand of the record is that of broken or damaged marriages. This is not (I hope!) a reflection of their own relationship but simply what happens when country songs get to be sung by mature adults.
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The best of these is For A Long Time co-written with the aforementioned Harley Allen. A woman takes off her wedding ring, has a clear out of joint possessions and throws away a wallet photograph - the objects are gone but the memories remain. A great song.
Several tracks were written on a 1928 Baldwin piano which was gifted to the couple. These include back to back tracks, both sung by Earle, Here Comes The Pain and Here Comes The Rain where the tone shifts from bitter fatalism to a brighter mood of resigned acceptance.
The title of Stuart's piano song Broken Heart For You speaks for itself. Each of these are very Paul McCartney and If You Change Your Mind, in which a woman muses bitterly on her cheating spouse, is equally Beatle-esque.
If it wasn't for the sobering subject matter, this album could be considered as a celebratory anniversary record but it's probably more accurate to think of it as a keep on keeping on release.
Americana for grown-ups in other words.
Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart's website
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