Ghosts of West Virginia

Cat No: NW5397LP

1. Heaven Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
2. Union, God and Country
3. Devil Put the Coal in the
Ground
4. John Henry was a Steel
Drivin’ Man
5. Time is Never on Our Side
6. It’s About Blood
7. If I Could See Your Face
Again
8. Black Lung
9. Fastest Man Alive
10. The Mine
Ghosts of West Virginia centers on the Upper Big Branch coal mine explosion that killed twenty-nine men in that state in 2010,
making it one of the worst mining disasters in American history. When asked about what drove him to craft his deeply evocative new
album, Steve Earle says, “I thought that, given the way things are now, it was maybe my responsibility to make a record that spoke to and
for people who didn’t vote the way that I did,” he says. “One of the dangers that we’re in is if people like me keep thinking that everybody
who voted for Trump is a racist or an asshole, then we’re fucked, because it’s simply not true. So this is one move toward something that
might take a generation to change. I wanted to do something where that dialogue could begin.”
In ten deftly drawn, roughly eloquent, powerfully conveyed sonic portraits, Earle and his long-time band the Dukes explore the
historical role of coal in rural communities. More than merely a question of jobs and income, mining has provided a sense of unity and
meaning, patriotic pride and purpose
“I said I wanted to speak to people that didn’t necessarily vote the way that I did,” he says, “but that doesn’t mean we don’t have
anything in common. We need to learn how to communicate with each other. My involvement in this project is my little contribution to
that effort. And the way to do that – and to do it impeccably – is simply to honor those guys who died at Upper Big Branch.”