The Hard Way (Steve Earle album)
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- Sound Emporium (Nashville, Tennessee)
- Ardent (Memphis, Tennessee)
| The Hard Way | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 1, 1990 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 55:47 | |||
| Label | MCA[3] | |||
| Producer | Steve Earle, Joe Hardy | |||
| Steve Earle chronology | ||||
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The Hard Way is the fourth studio album by Steve Earle, released in 1990.[11][12] Earle is backed by the Dukes.[13] The album is dedicated to Emilio Lorenzo Ensenat (1930–90).
The album peaked at No. 100 on the Billboard 200.[14] It peaked at No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart.[15]
The album was produced by Joe Hardy and Earle. It was recorded at Sound Emporium Studios, in Nashville, and at Ardent Studios, in Memphis.[16]
Critical reception
The Los Angeles Times noted the Springsteen influence, writing that the album contains "no fewer than two racing-in-the-streets songs and no fewer than two Death Row laments."[17] Lone Star Music Magazine wrote that "although it’s admittedly over-long at just under an hour and burdened with even more of a hair-metal production aesthetic than Copperhead Road, it’s loaded with genuinely great songs."[18] The Dallas Observer called "Billy Austin" "storytelling at its stark, bleakest best."[19]
