Albums to watch

Absent Fathers

Justin Townes Earle

Absent Fathers

Album number seven from the Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter and companion piece to 2014's Single Mothers

ADM rating[?]

6.8

Label
Loose Music / Vagrant
UK Release date
12/01/2015
US Release date
13/01/2015
  1. 8.0 |   Mojo

    It won't grab you by the lapels, much less the jockstrap or G-string, but it does carry that twangy tang of life. Print edition only

  2. 8.0 |   Q

    As autobiographical as some songs may be the album's theme will be familiar to anyone from a one-parent family. Print edition only

  3. 8.0 |   The Music

    It’s fascinating to watch Earle steadfastly sticking to his chosen course of dealing with his demons through the music he loves, and (so far) coming up trumps at every turn
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  4. 8.0 |   All Music

    Like Earle's best work, Absent Fathers is low on flash and high on emotional honesty and perceptive songwriting, and paired with Single Mothers this is some of his most intelligent and moving music to date
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  5. 7.9 |   Paste Magazine

    For all of the somber overtones to Absent Fathers, there’s still plenty of hopefulness within this record
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  6. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    While his steadfast consistency isn’t the flashiest trait in a songwriter, his newfound confessional streak is alarmingly resonant and refreshing
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  7. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Plenty of country-soul, a little blues, the odd splash of gospel, bound together with the grainy warmth of his voice. Print edition only

  8. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Highlighting JTE’s ability to channel both heartache and happiness through his unguarded lyrics and crisp guitar, Absent Fathers feels authentic and true — exactly how country music should
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  9. 6.6 |   Earbuddy

    The album’s alt-country instrumentation of finger-picked guitar, easy-going drums and pedal steel, along with Earle’s raspy mumble, are well-suited for songs about heartbreak
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  10. 6.0 |   The FT

    Companion to last year’s ‘Single Mothers’, album includes a musical homage to an imaginary father figure
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  11. 6.0 |   NOW

    Carries over the country-soul vibe of his recently released Single Mothers, a companion album to this one
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  12. 4.0 |   Exclaim

    Earle's melancholy has taken primacy over his songwriting, which is uncharacteristically generic here, making this subdued and plodding release a career low
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Justin Townes Earle: Absent Fathers

  • Download full album for just £7.49
  • 1. Farther From Me £0.79
  • 2. Why £0.79
  • 3. Least I Got The Blues £0.79
  • 4. Call Ya Momma £0.79
  • 5. Day And Night £0.79
  • 6. Round The Bend £0.79
  • 7. When The One You Love Loses Faith £0.79
  • 8. Slow Monday £0.79
  • 9. Someone Will Pay £0.79
  • 10. Looking For A Place To Land £0.79
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