Last week’s Chain Gang song was from Houston-born singer-songwriter Tift Merritt. This week, we’re sticking with that Houston link and celebrating another singer born in that great Texan city. Rodney Crowell is one of the country legends. He took us back to his roots with his 2001 album ‘The Houston Kid’ and this song is one of the most emotive, referring back to the violence he was exposed to in his youth. The heartfelt memories that Crowell shares on this personal album never sink into sentimental nostalgia because the pain and hurt is stirred into the well-written mix.
Tag: Rodney Crowell
Stream Rodney Crowell’s new album featuring Steve Earle
Rodney Crowell’s new album ‘Texas’ is a 11-track release out in the UK today on Crowell’s RC1 Records imprint, which finds the legendary singer-songwriter enlisting the help of several fellow Texans, including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Ronnie Dunn, Randy Rogers, Lee Ann Womack and Steve Earle, Ringo Starr and Vince Gill. Continue reading “Stream Rodney Crowell’s new album featuring Steve Earle”
Buddy Miller’s Crib: Studio Tour – Watch
We leave you this weekend dear reader with a nice little clip of Buddy Miller showing Aaron Lee Tasjan around his fairly amazing studio. Kind of like a musical grotto. Earlier this week, Buddy and Julie Miller took the stage Wednesday night at Nashville’s City Winery, backed by a small group of musicians including Colin Linden on guitar for a swift but blissful 45-minute set. You can read more over at RS Country here if they’re your bag, man. Have a good one.
Steve Earle, Emmylou and Crowell “Old Friends” – Listen
For the last few weeks, we’ve been covering the forthcoming Guy Clark covers album which Steve Earle and his Dukes will be releasing at the end of this month, and today we come to Clark’s 1988 album ‘Old Friends’, for which he enlisted a veritable feast of musician friends including Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. The latter two appear on Earle’s new version of the album’s title track, which RS describes as “a solemn prayer, with Harris harmonizing with Earle on the opening verse… Crowell, Jerry Jeff Walker, Terry Allen and Jo Harvey Allen also join in here, offering various spoken-word lines that underscore the timeless camaraderie of the songwriters.” ‘Guy’ is out March 29th.
Rodney Crowell “Christmas Everywhere” (New West, 2018)
At last, a grown up Christmas album which acknowledges the conflicting demands of the season, how to weather the commercial blitzkrieg, keep the kids happy and keep oneself sane. Rodney Crowell’s Christmas album has been some years in the making with the man himself admitting that it’s not his favourite time of the year but that he’d always indulged his kids by making up “silly little Christmas songs that we’d sing around the house.” It was hearing Hayes Carll’s ‘Grateful For Christmas’, back in 2011, which “tweaked my creative curiosity. I began mulling over the idea of writing an album’s worth of original Christmas songs.” And so here we have Crowell’s contribution to the season’s excesses although it has to be said this is lean and nutritious, food for thought indeed as he peeks behind the tinsel. Continue reading “Rodney Crowell “Christmas Everywhere” (New West, 2018)”
Southern Fried Festival, Perth, Scotland, 26-29th July 2018
Eleven years old this year Southern Fried continues to occupy its position as the best Americana and roots music festival in Scotland and perhaps the best of its kind in the UK (although there are three contenders who might challenge that assumption). The festival doesn’t rest on its laurels however and this year saw its headline shows expanded to include the Thursday night while there was the welcome return of the renovated Perth Theatre to the roster of venues as it hosted ticketed and free events. What doesn’t change however is the mixture of world famous acts, the cream of international and UK roots music and a generous helping of more local musicians all adding up to four days of joyous music concentrated within the centre of one of Scotland’s most beautiful cities. Continue reading “Southern Fried Festival, Perth, Scotland, 26-29th July 2018”
New Rodney Crowell album due July
Rodney Crowell has been around for a while now – he would often kick around a football made of tripe wrapped in muslin with Clement Attlee – and today he’s announced the forthcoming arrival of his nineteenth album Acoustic Classics which is due out on July 13th and features new versions of some of his best-recognised songs. RS report: “The writer of 15 Number One country hits, including “Making Memories of Us” and “Please Remember Me,” cut by Keith Urban and Tim McGraw respectively, Crowell presents stripped-down versions of these songs on the LP. Continue reading “New Rodney Crowell album due July”
Van Morrison joins Americana Awards 2017 line-up
If we could afford to cover this in person we would, although you do avoid Van on a bad day biting your head off (sorry, lazy journalism there). Rolling Stone Country reports: “Eclectic UK rock legends Van Morrison and Graham Nash, both of whom have been directly influenced by American music will both take the stage to perform at the Americana Honors & Awards Show on September 13th at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Continue reading “Van Morrison joins Americana Awards 2017 line-up”
Interview: Rodney Crowell
Houston-born singer-songwriter and longtime Nashville resident Rodney Crowell continues to lift his game as a songwriter, and his latest album ‘Close Ties’ (New West) qualifies as the most honest set of work he has ever done. Crowell has seen his songs recorded by countless people, ranging from his old boss, Emmylou Harris to Johnny Cash by way of blues legend Etta James, Bob Seger, George Strait, Steve Young, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, Keith Urban and Tim McGraw, and of course a man he co-wrote a few jewels with, Guy Clark. With Clark’s death in 2016 still very much in the mind of the singer-songwriter community, Crowell was keen to share his admiration with Maurice Hope. Continue reading “Interview: Rodney Crowell”
Crowell, Cash and John Paul White pay homage to Guy Clark – Watch
This is lurvely (and not blocked for UK viewing for once) with a great sentiment behind it. Rolling Stone report: “Rodney Crowell was joined by Rosanne Cash and John Paul White to recreate the trio’s rendition of “It Ain’t Over Yet,” the lead single from Crowell’s new album, Close Ties. The song was just one of several highlights during Crowell’s album-release show Thursday, March 30th at New York’s City Winery, which also included Crowell and Cash duetting on both 1979’s “No Memories Hangin’ Round” and Crowell’s signature song, “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.” Watch the performance of “It Ain’t Over Yet” [below]. Continue reading “Crowell, Cash and John Paul White pay homage to Guy Clark – Watch”