Justin Townes Earle's country-royalty pedigree is well-documented.  The son of Steve Earle and named after the legendary Townes Van Zandt, JTE is as steeped in outlaw country as anyone is going to get.  Needless to say the expectations have been high.  

From what I can gather, Earle has been beaten and bloodied by drugs and the road since he was a teenager.  But he's come out the other side recently, seems focused, and is starting to live up to that heritage.  A couple of good records have followed, most notably his latest, Harlem River Blues.  As good as Harlem River Blues is, its satisfaction comes from its polished country-folk reserve; not necessarily in its back porch abandon.  

This video of "Ain't Waitin" on a balcony in Nashville really blew me away a couple of weeks ago.  Really a fantastic stripped-down version of a good song and a peek at what JTE can do with nothing but a guitar and a little Tennessee attitude. 

Cheers to my buddy Brent for another great heads up.