Americana singer-songwriter recording act Rodney Crowell has not only furnished Emmylou Harris, with whom in recent he has recent years made two duet albums songs but The Oak Ridge Boys, Rosanne Cash, Waylon Jennings, Bob Seger & His Silver Bullet Band, Crystal Gayle, Vince Gill, Lucinda Williams, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Lee Ann Womack, Guy Clark and a host more with material the last 36 years, and also made some priceless recordings of his own.
Like his close friend, sometime co-writer Guy Clark he too is a real crafts man when it comes to songwriter. A man able to gain the greatest emotional impact out of a lyric as he shares much of his thoughts and own experiences with others.
A wonderful observer and artful into the bargain some of Crowell’s finest work appears on the three albums; from the uplifting “Leaving Louisiana In The Broad Daylight” right the way through to one of the most powerful of songs even by his standard, “Ashes for Now”. An incredible piece of writing, a timeless composition that was recently a hit for Lee Ann Womack (some thirty years after it was written) and like with a bunch more of his tunes it will be around long after Rodney has stopped performing or around to see their respective success.
His album Ain’t Living Long Like This (1978) with the likes of “Viola, An American Dream”, “Song For The Life” and title-cut “Ain’t Living Long Like This” backing up “Leaving Louisiana..” and a killer country rock fashioned version of “I Thought I Heard You Callin’ My Name” the record was wonderful debut collection of work. As for But What Will The Neighbors Think (1980) and Rodney Crowell (1981) they too are littered with outstanding songs. None any finer than “Victim Or A Fool”, “Shame On The Moon” plus two of Crowell’s most popular songs “Til I Gain Control Again” and energy filled “Stars On The Water”; songs still mainstays on his shows today.
It is a most impressive list of songs, and though at the time I wasn’t too sure of some of the Texan’s work as he forced the envelope at times more than us then country die-hards favoured there was no denying the worth and great vision. Crowell’s covers of his good friend Clark’s “Heartbroke” and “She Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” and Keith Sykes’ “Just Wanna Dance” and “Oh, What A Feeling” plus a couple of oldies in Elvis Presley hit “(Now And Then, There’s) A Fool Such As I” and an ideally suited “Old Pipeliner”. Musicians backing Crowell reads impressive too; as you have Emmylou’s Hot band Albert Lee, Emory Gordy Jr, Hank DeVito, Tony Brown, Larrie Londin, Richard Bennett, Vince Gill and Booker T. Jones all play a major part.
Maurice Hope