While Harlem River Blues was a love letter to his new hometown of NYC, this album is a gorgeous, sometimes lush sometimes sparse, sometimes painful paean to a city that's given so much to the world musically. The sweat, the horns, the soul.

Of this record, JTE explains, “I think that it’s the job of the artist to be in transition and constantly learn more. The new record is completely different than my last one, Harlem River Blues. This time I’ve gone in a Memphis-soul direction.”

Produced by Earle alongside longtime collaborator Skylar Wilson, the album was recorded completely live with no overdubs over a 4-day period at an old converted church recording studio in Asheville, NC. His band is, as always, a top-flight collection of like-minded compadres. Paul Niehaus (Calexico, Iron & Wine, Lambchop) on guitar and steel, Bryn Davies (Jack White's Peacocks, Guy Clark) on bass, the indominable Cory Younts on lotsa stuff and Amanda Shires on vocals and fiddle.