Earle is barren of protest

Apparently not. Over two hours of a near-solo show, this protest singer protested too little, mentioning the election only to note that - like him - no candidate was mentioning the war.

In fact, the hitherto loquacious Virginian was unusually subdued, neglecting to introduce his songs, other than Little Rock'n'Roller, dedicated to his recently deceased father and preceded by a confessional vis-a-vis his own imperfect parenting skills.

Now 53, Earle has slalomed through heroin addiction and being so committed to marriage that he has done it seven times (although Number four and Number six were the same person; regrettably Number five's thoughts on this remain unreported) to become the natural heir to Woody Guthrie (name-checked on the slender but gorgeous closer Christmas in Washington) a champion of the downtrodden, a master of the story song and a dab hand at relationship musings too.

For an artist with such a rich back catalogue, playing 11 of the 12 songs from his new album, the Grammy-winning New York homage Washington Square Serenade, was hardly a crowd-pleasing masterstroke but Earle has always pleased himself first.

Allison Moorer, support act and the current Mrs Earle, duetted on the moonstruck Days Aren't Long Enough but Earle's real curveball was an extended cameo from DJ Neil MacDonald.

The old guard among a reverent crowd grumbled, but the meshing of old and new genres worked spectacularly well.

MacDonald added beats, samples (brilliantly on Tom Waits's Way Down in the Hole) and, more pertinently, a respite from the monotony of one taciturn man and his many guitars.

Overall, Earle's songs deserved more than busking and a protest singer who doesn't protest is just a singer.

Touring nearly solo and staying nearly silent might be the cheap and safe option; touring with a band and speaking your mind is the superior musical and moral option.

Steve Earle
Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road, Camden Town, NW1 8EH