the much-anticipated follow-up to 2009's 'midnight at the movies'. woody guthrie once said, "any fool can make something complicated. it takes a genius to make it simple." on 'harlem river blues', justin townes earle takes that lesson to heart, making a statement without making a wall of sound. compared to the much-lauded 'midnight at the movies', 'harlem river blues' is more mature and increasingly nuanced, while still embracing the raw voice and clean sound of previous standout tracks like 'mama's eyes.' featuring guest appearances from jason isbell, bryn davies and calexico's paul niehaus, it's rockin' and reelin' at times, sweet and slow at others.