Rodney Crowell’s string of 2001’s Houston Kid, 2003’s Fate’s Right Hand, and 2005’s The Outsider, a trilogy of sorts, are as strong as any three consecutive albums in Americana. He attempted to continue this momentum in 2005 by going into the studio with the same band, including Steuart Smith on guitar, and co-producing with Crowell, along with Benmont Tench joining on organ. He was attempting to vary the script somewhat, but was uncomfortable with the results, feeling it was too similar to the trilogy aesthetic. Twenty years later, he found the album in his vaults and felt it was the right time to release it.
So, we have Then Again with a couple of new, updated touches. To these ears, the album is more introspective, arguably more deeply…
Tag Archive: Rodney Crowell
Includes 2 brand-new songs: “When You’re with Him” and “Before I Hung Your Picture On the Wall”.
Since the death of Johnny Cash, Rodney Crowell has assumed the crown as the King of Country Music, at least the Americana side of the genre. The 75-year-old former son-in-law of the Man in Black has a complete record of accomplishments and achievements as a singer, songwriter, and producer. Earlier this year, Willie Nelson put out a full-length album, Oh What a Beautiful World, which featured 12 songs written or co-written by Crowell over the past 50 years. What could top that? Well, Crowell’s not about to retire. He’s just released his 20th studio record, Airline Highway.
The new record reveals Crowell is still the master of diamonds and dirt, as he labeled his…