Additional personnel: Phillip Chevron (vocals, guitar); Spider Stacy (vocals, tin whistle); Jerry Douglas (dobro); Shane MacGowan (banjo, bodhran); Jem Finer (banjo); Terry Woods (cittern); Neill MacColl, Sam Bush (mandolin); James Fearmley (accordion); Darryl Hunt (bass guitar); Andrew Ranken (drums); John Cowan, Maria McKee (background vocals); Telluride.

Steve Earle was on a roll in the mid-1980s; crashing onto a dilapidated country scene with his rock-influenced vitality, he turned out three classic albums in three years. His third, COPPERHEAD ROAD, is possibly the most accomplished. Here Earle streamlines his roughneck country-rock sound for maximum impact, and hones his sociopolitical songwriting to balance perfectly with his more personal offerings. The title tune, a tale about a Vietnam-vet drug-runner, was a surprise crossover hit, widening Earle's pop profile. "Devil's Right Hand," another Earle signature tune, is as powerful an anti-gun song as you're likely to hear.

Earle was growing musically as well; he's backed by Irish folk-punks the Pogues on "Johnny Come Lately," and by bluegrass supergroup Telluride on "Nothing But a Child," hinting at the eclecticism of his later releases. With COPPERHEAD ROAD definitively proving his consistency, Earle permanently ascended into the upper echelon of American singer/songwriters, leaving the early "country Springsteen" claims behind forever.