Rodney Crowell albums

1978

Ain’t Living Long Like This – 83%

Best Songs: Leaving Louisiana in the broad day light, Ain’t Living Long Like This, Song For the Life, baby better start turning ‘em down

2021

Triage - 86%

               When any country music artist lasts long enough or gets get enough, he or she gets thrown into the singer songwriter category. There is nothing wrong with that, but its worth noting because at the end of the day any artist transcends whatever genre they are in if they are worth their salt, and Rodney Crowell is one of those people. I’ve seen him play live solo, and he really knows how to hypnotize the crowd. Songs such as “Don’t Leave Me know” and “The Body Isn’t All There is to Who I am” show this world weary quality, as Crowell is a man who knows what he is talking about- he is just well off enough and just famous enough to see the music game for what it is. The title, track is made like a classic folk song that’s been around forever though augmented by interweaving Beatles style guitar playing.

               “Something Has To change” is embolic of this as it is just prophetic and vague enough to point out: “am I ready for times like these? Emphatically no/ Though I did see it coming/ a long time ago.” The truly great tunes on here are many, but a special shout out to that previous song, the Dylanesque “Here Goes Nothing” with its effortless melody carved out on a piano and synthesizer simultaneously, and the hard grove of “I’m All About Love” which is one of his best songs ever rivaling his classic 1978 hit “Ain’t Living Long Like This”. That song above all sums up the music of our times with the classic figures of our time, from Vldimir Putin, Donald Trump and Jessica Biel (what?) while being interrupted by a Marc Ribot style guitar solo. There were times he had not a penny to his name, and at this point he is making great music just because there is something inside him that drives him to do it; these are songs he wrote and he knows its his duty to get them out into the world. I’m glad he did.

Best Songs: I’m all about love, the body isn’t all there is to who I am, triage, something has to change

2023

Chicago Sessions - 77%

Best Songs: Loving you is the Only Way to Fly, Ready to Move On, Everything at Once, Making Lovers Out of Friends