Blue Earth is a bare-bones look into The Jayhawks’ early songwriting. These demos have been subjected to very little extra tampering, giving their catchy alt-country a lived-in and off-the-cuff feel. Tunes like “Will I Be Married,” with its howling harmonica and gritty harmonies, or the lonesome “Ain’t No End,” sound like someone just hit “record” while their friends jammed. They amp up the rock ’n’ roll, too, with “Nightshade”—a wiry country-rock number with twangy solos.