Copperhead Road was country outlaw Steve Earle’s full-fledged kiss-off to the Music City mainstream, and his love letter to rock ‘n’ roll. The snarling, stomping title track revealed him to be a kind of alt-country Bruce Springsteen, and Earle almost enters AC/DC territory on “Back to the Wall,” all the while unveiling the left-leaning politics that gave his growl some political gravitas. In stark contrast, the openhearted love songs on the album’s endearing second half showed the tough guy’s tender side.