Love really is all you need. That’s the message behind Nashville icon Rodney Crowell‘s umpteenth solo album Triage. And the hickory-voiced septuagenarian singer-songwriter delivers it with repeatedly a gently twangy, quietly urgent clutch of skillfully crafted Americana and roots-rock whose sincerity is matched by its style. What is not to love?
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rodney Crowell’s new collection of songs Triage was written during the great political, climate and economic upheaval that has marked recent years. The noise of that chaos encouraged the songwriter to go inside for solace and answers. The result is this series of songs that contend with these themes but approach them from a place of healing love and solution. That they are being released while we find ourselves walking through a global pandemic, is a gift of perfect timing.
“Near the end of 2018, I began scribbling the first few lines that would become songs on yet another album,” Crowell says. “With monotheism, climate change, and cultural divide foremost on my mind, adequately framing the healing power of Universal Love became my primary goal. I’d learned from experience that writing and recording songs with the desire to make a difference, be it small or large, in an increasingly complex world is a tricky business. Steering clear of self-importance while, at the same time, believing deeply in what one has to say, calls for striking a near perfect balance. With Irish poet/playwright Samuel Beckett’s sobering mantra “fail better” planted firmly in mind, I called producer Dan Knobler for help recording the songs.”
As producer Knobler adds, “Not a moment of this album is unconsidered. Time and time again the question was asked: does each word, each note, every instrument and sonic choice serve its song? Is each song in service of the spirit of Universal Love? If not, it had to go. The result is a piece of work both Rodney and I take immense pride in.”
Triage will be Rodney’s 18th studio album and his third on his own imprint. Rodney has won numerous awards, including two Grammys and six Americana Music Association Awards as well as their Lifetime Achievement for Songwriter award. This last accolade resonates deeply with a man who has stacked up 15 No. 1 hits including six of his own, and dozens of others for an impressively diverse array of artists including Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban, Bob Seger, Etta James and The Grateful Dead.”
