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The first time I caught Justin Townes Earle was at Snowbird's Mountain Music Festival in 2009, when he played his normal set and then ventured downstairs into the basement bar, playing a intimate little nightcap acoustic set for the probably 50 or so people who had stuck around.

He's known of course for his musical lineage and his noted namesake, but what made Earle memorable, then and now, is his smooth swinging cadence and loping, emotive performance that — along with his long, skinny legs and inked-up arms — is different enough to set him apart from the rest of the familiar Americana singer-songwriter crowd that clutters the Nashville scene.

Since then, Earle has had his share of ups and downs. He had blow-ups, kicked drugs, got married to a Utah gal and released a couple of really good albums — most notably "Harlem River Blues."

Now he's back in Salt Lake City, playing Sunday night at The State Room, just in time for the release of his new album, "Kids in the Street," his best work in years and a return to that bouncing, bluesy sound and wry songwriting that gave his early recordings so much appeal.

The first track, "Champagne Corolla," sets the tone, a swinging tale told from the point of view of a man infatuated with a woman who "should be driving something long and black," but instead goes much more practical and "she can run a week on just one tank."

The songs are rich on narrative and perspective. In "Maybe a Moment," he is trying to sell a woman on a road trip to Memphis with a bottle of Thunderbird and staying out all night; "15-25" is told from the perspective of an inmate staring at a long spell behind bars; and in "Same Old Stagolee," Earle takes a crack at the classic blues murder ballad but from the perspective of a witness to the crime, told over Earle's finger-picking guitar.

He sprinkles in a few of his bluesy ballads, like the Hank Williams-esque "What's She Crying For," the acoustic reminiscence of boyhood in the title track "Kids in the Street," and the longing heartache in "There Goes a Fool."

If you hurry, you can listen to the whole album at http://www.npr.org. It's worth checking out.

Onstage Earle evokes Hank Sr. as well, tall and lanky, hunched over the microphone, guitar hiked up as high as his pants. He draws on the energy of the audience and often reflects it back. Like his dad, Steve Earle, he doesn't suffer fools and chatter. He'll often mock people who shout out requests, reminding them it's his show.

But he has a catalog that allows him to string together a diverse array of music, and expect him to throw in at least a few dynamite covers, whether it's Springsteen's "Racing in the Street" or The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait." Or perhaps he'll add in his down-tempo rendition of Paul Simon's "Graceland," the bonus track from the new album.

JTE's show at The State Room is sold out, although there may be tickets left at Graywhale or the City Weekly Store. If you have tickets, doors open at 7 p.m. Make sure to get there on time, since The Sadies are opening and their countrified cow-punk should be worth seeing, as well. —

Justin Townes Earle

With The Sadies.

When • Sunday, May 28, 8 p.m.

Where • The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City

Tickets • Sold out; thestateroom.com for wait-list info