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The Greek playwright Euripides once wrote that “the gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children,” and if you look at the parallels between singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle and his famous father, alt-country maverick Steve, you might agree.

But that doesn’t take into account the fact that the biggest similarity the younger Earle shares with the elder is the fire and the determination and the grit that goes along with that last name. However intertwined the pair’s paths might be, it’s a thread that’s unraveled a great deal over recent years and continues to do so, thanks to Justin’s growth as an artist and as a man.

With the recent release of his new album, “The Good Life,” the younger Earle stakes out his own claim on the Americana landscape. If his father’s estate is a sprawling behemoth with foundations laid in rock and country and bluegrass, the younger Earle’s homestead is a much simpler one. It’s anchored deep in traditional country bedrock — not fancy, not flashy and certainly not prone to controversy, as his father’s house is.

But it’s solid and sturdy and well-built. It’s the work of a craftsman who knows what he’s doing and who’s meticulous about how he does it. In short, it’s the work of an artist who’s his own man, and it’s a place that’s earning respect and accolades for a sound all its own.

“In a way, I think this album is me growing closer to something my father always preached about, and that’s paying attention to what came before,” Justin Townes Earle told The Daily Times this week. “He was always adamant about that, and it’s one of the few bits of advice that I’ve always heeded from my father — that you can’t have a future without a past.”

The younger Earle grew up in the shadow of his dad’s hell-raising country-rock ways. Although he was raised in Nashville, he found himself drawn to roots music outside of country music’s mainstream — artists like Jason and the Scorchers and Webb Wilder. He played in the bluegrass/ragtime combo The Swindlers and the more-rocking Distributors, and he gave a half-hearted effort at a solo career.

In addition to musical talent, however, he inherited something else from his dad — a love of drugs and alcohol. Although he played as part of his dad’s band for a while, he was eventually fired by the old man because of his habits. That was the wake-up call for him to clean up his act, he said, and ever since, he’s been more focused than ever on his craft.

“I was at a point where I had so many chemicals stimulating my brain and body that I couldn’t help but be full of it,” he said. “I’m not saying I’m not full of it still, but at least I’m getting down to what it’s all about instead of everything just being a myth.”

He’s rebuilt a relationship with his dad, albeit one that’s built on the tough love that comes from recovery and the souls of men who have the blood of Texas running thick in their veins. (Dad’s response when he first heard “The Good Life”: “He said, ‘You can sing better than I thought you could,’” the younger Earle said.) More than anything, he’s rebuilt himself, as a man and as a musician.

Last year, he released “Yuma,” an EP with a firm anchor in traditional country that would be a harbinger for “The Good Life.” Although he came through Knoxville twice last year, a lot’s happened in the past 12 months — not only has he cut “The Good Life,” he’s been signed to Bloodshot Records and picked up for management by Traci Thomas of Thirty Tigers, the high-profile publicist who’s worked for Sugar Hill and New West records. Needless to say, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind.

“I was hoping for something to happen, but I wasn’t expecting it to happen like it has,” he said. “Everything’s still spinning pretty fast. I haven’t had time to sit and grasp it all yet, and I’m probably not going to be able to for a while. There’s just not really much time for it. I’ve got to keep it rolling while everybody else is ready to keep it rolling.”

Fortunately, recovery has given him the same traits it gave his old man — a steady head, a solid work ethic and an unbelievable amount of determination. “The Good Life” is proof that when an Earle sobers up, there’s a gold mine of talent busting up through his heart. Filled with the wail of steel-guitar weepers and stomping barroom brawlers, it’s a record that sounds more at home filed next to Hank Williams Sr. and Ray Price than it does the music of his father.

It’s just naturally the sort of music he’s drawn toward, he added.

“I just have this strange thing when I sit down and write that it doesn’t take anything for me to write an old-sounding song,” Earle said. “It’s just the way they come out. With ‘Yuma,’ it was a similar sort of style, but the difference is we had money when we made ‘The Good Life.’ ‘Yuma’ was a lot more by-the-seat-of-our-pants — it was done in two-and-a-half hours in one night. For ‘The Good Life,’ we tracked, mixed and mastered it over six days.”

The devotion is evident in the songs, which range from the uneasy melancholy of “Lone Pine Hill” to the carousel swing of “South Georgia Sugar Babe” to the straight-up country of “Lonesome and You.” The title track showcases the richness of Earle’s voice, a far cry from the whiskey-scarred and cigarette-tarred rasp of his dad’s.

In fact, those who pick up “The Good Life” expecting to hear a chip off the old block won’t be disappointed — but they will be surprised. There are no songs about the death penalty or the government or scouring the streets of South Nashville for heroin. Hopefully, Earle has learned lessons from his father’s mistakes and won’t write songs about the latter, but he’s also independent-minded enough and stubborn enough to make his own choices.

“I’m a very patient songwriter,” he said. “People who are considered prolific songwriters usually write a bunch of (crap). Every record I’ve ever heard that has more than 10 songs usually has several throwaways on there. The next record is in the works, and we’ve put down guitar and vocals on the first four tracks, so we’re gradually working our way up to 10.

“Hopefully, we’ll release it at this same time next year, and it’ll be along the same lines as ‘The Good Life.’ I think my records are always going to have a certain feel to them. I doubt seriously that I’ll ever make a rock record, and I know for damn sure that I won’t make an electronic record.”