Washington Square Serenade

Washington Square Serenade
Studio album by Steve Earle
Released	September 25, 2007
Genre	Alt-country, heartland rock, Americana
Label	New West
Producer	John King
Steve Earle chronology
The Revolution Starts Now (2004) Washington Square Serenade (2007) Townes (2009)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Guardian Unlimited	[2]
Pitchfork Media	(5.0/10)[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]
Uncut	[5]

Washington Square Serenade is the 12th studio album by alternative country singer Steve Earle, released in 2007. The album features the singer's wife Allison Moorer on the track "Days Aren't Long Enough," and the Brazilian group Forro in the Dark on the track "City of Immigrants." The track "Way Down in the Hole," by Tom Waits, was used as the opening theme song for the fifth and final season of the HBO series The Wire, on which Earle plays a recurring character named Walon. The album was released on September 25, 2007, on New West Records. In February 2008 it won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album.^[6]

Track listing

All songs written by Steve Earle unless otherwise noted.

1. "Tennessee Blues" – 2:39
2. "Down Here Below" – 4:02
3. "Satellite Radio" – 4:09
4. "City of Immigrants" – 4:18
5. "Sparkle and Shine" – 3:12
6. "Come Home to Me" – 3:47
7. "Jericho Road" – 3:36
8. "Oxycontin Blues" – 2:54
9. "Red is the Color" – 4:19
10. "Steve's Hammer (for Pete)" – 3:15
11. "Days Aren't Long Enough" (Earle/Allison Moorer) – 3:01
12. "Way Down in the Hole" (Tom Waits) – 2:55

Credits

Musicians

• Steve Earle - vocals, guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, banjo, harmonica, tambura & harmonium
• Allison Moorer - vocals
• John Medeski - organ, electric piano, mellotron & harmonium
• Jeremy Chatzky - acoustic & electric bass
• John Spiker - electric bass
• Marty Beller - drums
• Patrick Earle - percussion
• Forro in the Dark:
  • Mauro Refosco - zabumba
  • Davi Viera - timba & triangle
  • Jorge Continentino - bamboo flute
  • Smokey Hormel - baritone guitar
• "The Downtown Proletariat Choir":
  • Patrick Earle, John King, Noah Goldstein, Josh Wilbur, Lee Foster, Charlie Stavish, Paul Bannister, Collin Hart & Petey

Production

• Produced and mixed by John King
• Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York City
• Mixed at The Nest, Hollywood, California
• Engineered by Josh Wilbur & Tom Camuso
  • Assisted by Noah Goldstein
• Programming by Andrew Clark & John Spiker
• Logistics - Patrick Earle
• "Pro Tools Therapy" - Ray Kennedy
• Mastered - Jim Demain at Yes Master Studios
  • Assisted by Alex McCollough

Artwork

• Cover artwork by Tony Fitzpatrick
• Photos by Ted Barron
• Design by Dawn Hancock for Firebelly Design

Chart performance

Chart (2007)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	10
U.S. Billboard 200	79
U.S. Billboard Independent Albums	10

References

1. Allmusic review
2. Robin Denselow, Review: Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade, Guardian Unlimited, September 28, 2007
3. Pitchfork Media review
4. Robert Christgau, Review: Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade, Rolling Stone, October 4, 2007
5. Robert Hughes, Review: Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade, Uncut
6. Dickens, Tad. "A different world for Steve Earle". The Roanoke Times. April 9, 2008.