I am not sure if I molded my taste in music or if music molded me, but here is what happened: in the late 80s, my aunt worked for a magazine publisher and I spent a lot of time at her house. Which included devouring “Country Music” magazine- the articles and the charts.
It also happens to be a great time for the genre (in my eyes)- Neotraditional Country which got popular between the era of Urban Cowboy and the rise of Garth Brooks.
If you know how big of a Steve Earle fan I am, you might think this is where it started. It didn’t. Though I knew and liked him and watched the record companies try to figure out how to market him. It was really 1996s I Feel Alright where I fell in love with his artistry.
Although I liked a few artists of the time, I would have to say that there were three that stood out as my favorites. Roseanne Cash, Rodney Crowell and Dwight Yoakum
Crowell was probably the most successful and yet he ended up being a bit forgotten. I hadn’t listened to him in years- and when I revisit those singles, they are so good. I never tire of them - “I Couldn’t Leave You if I Tried”, “Above and Beyond” “She’s Crazy for Leaving”, “If Looks Could Kill” and Many A Long and Lonesome Highway”
I had forgotten Crowell a bit too. But there are a lot more outlets for music now and when I heard some of his 21st Century songs, I got back into him.
2023s “The Chicago Sessions” is most likely the most attention given to Crowell in 30 years. He pairs up with producer Jeff Tweedy
Tweedy of course was in the bands Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. To attempt to label genres, I would say Tweedy and his bands (along with Whiskeytown, Old 97s and others) helped create Alt Country
Now labels and names get thrown around, so for the sake of this conversation, I would say Alt Country falls under a bigger umbrella of Americana music that includes the aforementioned Neotrad country but also Cowpunk, Cosmic Country, Red Dirt Country, jam bands, Outlaw Country, Roots Rock, Folk Rock and likely more related rivers that flow into the bigger Americana Ocean.
Which means if Tweedy and Crowell don’t sound the same sonically, they at least have similar mindsets
The Chicago Seasons cover immediately calls to mind 1978 debut. That album is a reminder that Crowell’s songs may be even more well known than he is - this particular album has “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” a # 1 Country hit for the Oak Ridge Boys and the title track “Ain’t Living Long Like This”
I don’t know Crowell’s every note but I have some dablings with his 21st century material 2001s The Houston Kid is considered a masterpiece of the genre and rightfully so. I don’t know any of the next albums that well but know they are critically acclaimed and I have liked what I heard. Of those, I have spent a bit of time with 2014s Tarpaper Sky and 2017s Close Ties which have some great songs.
My intro back to Crowell was 2019s Texas, one of Uncut Magazine monthly picks. It ended up being a perfect jumping back on spot for me- having missed his post -80s work. I had loved his classic hits and likely presumed he was cranking out cookie cutter albums
Texas pairs Crowell with a bunch of cameos. So often it mirrors the personalities that he was playing with (Steve Earle, Billy Gibbons, Lyle Lovett, Ringo Starr and so on).
2021s Triage was a more intimate and personal album. Crowell is at his best with humor and pathos. It deals with mortality but has its fun moments too.
Which brings us to Chicago Sessions which with Tweedy involved seems to suggest it will take Crowell to one extreme or another
But it doesn’t Rock like Texas nor does it have the gravitas of Triage. If anything it’s..just fine. It doesn’t seem to do anything better than the last two albums did (or the other albums I mentioned earlier)
It’s not a particularly bad album. It just doesn’t feel like much more than background music. I half suspect that I don’t like Tweedy’s production which aspires for the intimate but is not my preferred version of Crowell. I prefer Crowell’s work with himself in the producer chair where he usually is.
Tweedy also produced Richard Thompson’s Still album (2015) another example of a lesser album in a great catalogue (in my opinion).
That said, it is an enjoyable listen with a few highlights and I do love the attention Crowell is getting and this seems to be well received so I quite possibly am an exception here.
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