Justin is the son of Steve Earle, his middle name comes from his dads mentor Townes Van Zandt (not that one). His dad left the family when Justin was 2 and he was raised by his mom Carol Anne Hunter. Justin's last 2 albums were titled Single Mothers and this years Absent Fathers.....so yeah maybe he's working some things out. He's a fantastic artist in his own right. He's got his own sound yet has also learned from the best. Harlem River Blues (2010) was a really strong album and he's not one to stay comfortable with any sound, he goes where he wants. Some critics were rejecting of this album as being "too somber". I would disagree with that. This song is evidence of what I often talk about - honest writing but there is some good honky tonk carrying Earle's truth down the road
From reviewer Henry Hauser (I think a more accurate view)
"Absent Fathers, Earle’s sixth album, is a distinct and deeply personal statement about the search for a rock, an anchor, anything to keep from floating into the ether when it feels like there’s nothing left to hold on to. If you hadn’t already guessed, the title references Earle’s own father, singer-songwriter Steve Earle. Between getting thrown in jail for weapons possession and a heroin addiction that nearly claimed his life....By also presenting himself as the source of pain rather than its recipient, he shows that hurt begets hurt, and those who are abandoned today become the heart-breakers of tomorrow. JTE sends a soon-to-be-ex lover crying to mommy on “Call Ya Momma”. With lyrics that starkly contrast the song’s jaunty tempo, he grapples with the guilt of inflicting the same kind of pain he’s spent his life trying to mitigate. “Shame, shame, I wanted to cry in shame,” he rasps."
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