Playlist 05.03.12

I saw Justin Townes Earle at the Boogaloo Bar in north London last July. He had dropped some weight and the hint of disorder hung around his tattooed frame. But still he had the poise to cover for the lack of personnel and enough weight in the songs to make the best of his 'Harlem River Blues' collection ring out. Before the final song, he said that he was going to celebrate the end of his London show by smoking an exotic cigarette. And sure enough, that's what the guy did. We had a brief chat and he seemed happily in tune with the music. So despite the perilous lifestyle and the errant history, it seemed that Justin was getting on with his muse.

Which is why I've been taking extra pleasure from his new record, 'Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now'. He may be based in New York, but he's set his creative compass towards Memphis and that humid vernacular of southern soul. All of the major emotions are dealt out, and Justin sings like a soul that's been to every extreme on that spectrum.

BBC Radio Ulster, 92-95 FM

Online: www.bbc.co.uk/radioulster

Blog: https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/stuartbailie/

Mondays, ten - midnight

Beck - Sissyneck (Geffen)

Sharon Jones - New Shoes (Daptone)

Bruce Springsteen - Easy Money (Columbia)

Jane Bradfords - Judicial Duel (white)

Profile - Alan Lomax

St Etienne - Tonight (Heavenly)

Todd Snider - Brenda (Aimless)

Francois And The Atlas Mountains - City Kids (Domino)

Bruce Springsteen - Death To My Home Town (Columbia)

Alex Butler - Come Out Of Your House (white )

Django Django - Storm (Because)

Wings - Nineteen Hundred And Eighty Five (Parlophone)

Roberta Flack - We Can Work It Out (Sony)

Justin Townes Earle - Look The Other Way (Bloodshot)

Dodgy - Only For A Heartbeat (Strike Back)

Marvin Etzioni - You Possess Me (NMR)

Todd Snider - In Between Jobs (Aimless)

Bruce Springsteen - Land Of Hope And Dreams (Columbia)

Geoff Farina - Scotch Snaps (Damnably)

Justin Townes Earle - Lower East Side (Bloodshot)

Ryan Vail - Turning (white)

Marvin Etzioni - You Are The Light (NMR)

Spoek Mathambo - Let Them Talk (Sub Pop)

Talking Heads - The Great Curve (Sire)