Steve Earle has always remained true to his artistic vision of what his music should be, and in keeping with that, Transcendental Blues is a mishmash of musical styles ranging from the hypnotic Eastern-influenced title track to the Celtic romp of "The Galway Girl" to the banjo-plucking bluegrass that shapes "Until the Day I Die." Lord knows what keeps the collection together -- Earle's husky voice can recall the flat drawl of Bob Dylan or the lilting twang of his Texas folk roots or, at times, the blue-collar straightforwardness of Springsteen -- but it's a highly-charged ramshackle that delights from start to finish.