Steve Earle's status as American legend keeps growing, helped by a recent role in David Simon's Treme and a book deal for his memoir and a second novel. He covers his musical spectrum on this 15th album, beginning with a stark gaze at America's decline on the wistful country rock of the title track, a theme picked up on 21st Century Blues, where "millennium" is rhymed with "bare minimum". There are blazing rock-outs (Calico County), down-home bluegrass (Warren Hellman's Banjo) and three tuneful songs from Treme. Earle's vocals are often a cryptic Texan growl, but the playing is immaculate and the songcraft admirable.