(HUDSON, N.Y.) – Americana music scion Justin Townes Earle – the son of Steve Earle (who sold out his recent show at Club Helsinki Hudson) – will bring his country-inflected brand of folk-rock to Club Helsinki Hudson on Thursday, March 20, 2014, at 8pm. Rootsy singer-songwriter Natalia Zukerman — one of my all-time favorite performers and singer-songwriters — opens the show.

Having migrated from his birthplace, Nashville, to New York City, the critically acclaimed singer-songwriter, who was named after Texas singer-songwriter legend Townes van Zant, pairs the sage wisdom of Americana music with themes that relate to life in the Big Apple.

Earle directly confronts the legacy handed down to him by his father, Steve Earle, on the poignant song, “Mama’s Eyes,” on his album, “Midnight at the Movies,” when he sings, “I am my father’s son/I’ve never known when to shut up/I ain’t fooling no one/I am my father’s son.”

When it comes to comparisons, the Guardian UK hears “echoes of Guthrie and Springsteen” in Earle. Earle himself claims to be influenced by artists including Randy Newman, Chet Baker, the Replacements, Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen. “Great songs are great songs,” Earle says. “If you listen to a lot of soul music, especially the Stax Records stuff, the chord progressions are just like country music.  And just like country music, soul music began in the church, so it has its roots in the same place.”

Natalia Zukerman has claimed her own place in an esteemed musical family that includes world-renowned performers of classical music and opera. Zukerman’s introspective songwriting and catchy melodies recall those of Shawn Colvin in their narrative acuity; her slide-blues guitar-playing easily rivals that of legends like Bonnie Raitt; and her dramatic vocals, which range from a whisper to a scream, may remind listeners of Ani DiFranco. Those various elements, combined with Zukerman’s gregarious personality and organic approach, make her a true original with a distinctive voice, and one of my all-time favorite performers and singer-songwriters.

For reservations in The Restaurant or in the club call 518.828.4800.