Steve Earle & The Dukes - Fearless Heart (1996)

MCA Special Products' Fearless Heart may just be a budget-price compilation, but according to those standards, it's an excellent one. Rounding up the toughest rock-oriented material Steve Earle and his backing band the Dukes recorded for MCA, Fearless Heart is easily the hardest-hitting album in his catalog, keeping its driving momentum pumping not only through originals like "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" and "The Devil's Right Hand," but also covers like "She's About a Mover." Certainly, this isn't the place to turn to if you want to appreciate Earle's artistry, but it's nevertheless an intoxicating, rocking hard country record.~Stephen Thomas Erlewine