First acts first. Early arrivals for Steve Earle's ultimately triumphant return to the world of electric guitars at the Olympia on Monday were treated to a short, sweet taste of a married duo who, both separately and together, have made two of the best new country albums of the year, both on the Hightone label. Buddy and Julie Miller's collections are entitled respectively, Poison Love and Blue Pony and the duo, driven by Buddy's riveting acoustic-guitar-picking, tossed us happily a few tasters of their work. Julie was apparently suffering a bout of laryngitis, but she managed to convey the rich emotions of songs such as Forever My Beloved and I Call On You while her husband was no less impressive, playing and singing.

Then, after a short interval, Steve Earle led the latest lineup of his band, the Dukes, onto the stage. And there, settling quietly into his day job role, was the same Buddy Miller on sparkling electric guitar and backing vocals along with a sturdy rhythm section. However, the band, playing its first show together, was a little sloppy at first. As the show progressed they began to find a more cohesive groove, but it was very much a first night, albeit a frequentlyinspired one, especially when a svelte Emmylou Harris joined them onstage for her second backing vocal slot of the evening.

Earle has a slew of great songs in his back and current catalogue. His post-personalapocalypse period (ie drug addiction and time in the slammer) has been marked by a remarkable rebirth of his talent. By returning to his roots of folk and traditional country, he has discovered the power of stripped-down music.

But the call of the amplifier was clearly too strong to ignore. Hence the return of the band. It will be another few gigs before they sort out the weaker moments, but Earle could help by giving the show more direction. One often senses that there is little rhyme or reason to the playlist. This is probably untrue, but there is a definite need for more shape, especially as the show lasts well over two hours. That may sound ungenerous after what was assuredly a triumphant return but, as he sang on the closing tune, I Ain't Never Satisfied and neither should he be.