Album Review - Rodney Crowell - The Outsider

[John Metzger]

Album Review - Rodney Crowell - The Outsider

With the release of The Outsider, Rodney Crowell successfully has
completed his transformation from a formidable hit-maker for Nashville's
contemporary country scene into a misfit songwriter whose bristling,
rock 'n' roll-laden intensity rivals that of fellow Texans Joe Ely and
Steve Earle. In fact, those unfamiliar with Crowell's past might find it
difficult to believe that the same guy who crafted the garage-infused
jangle of Say You Love Me also penned chart-topping tunes for the likes
of Crystal Gayle and The Oak Ridge Boys. Although Crowell eventually
subdues the broiling angst that begins The Outsider, his edginess
doesn't dissipate until after he lays waste to hedonistic greed in The
Obscenity Prayer (Give It to Me) and slathers the title track's
dichotomous views of the world in an ominous brew of swampy soul.

This is an excerpt. To read the complete review, please visit:

http://www.musicbox-online.com/rc-out.html

[Herbert Abercrombie]

And just last night I put on yet another of his older, most unremarkable albums,
and mused: "whatever happened to Rodney Crowell?".

Ken West

Post by John Metzger
Album Review - Rodney Crowell - The Outsider
With the release of The Outsider, Rodney Crowell successfully has
completed his transformation from a formidable hit-maker for Nashville's
contemporary country scene into a misfit songwriter whose bristling,
rock 'n' roll-laden intensity rivals that of fellow Texans Joe Ely and
Steve Earle. In fact, those unfamiliar with Crowell's past might find it
difficult to believe that the same guy who crafted the garage-infused
jangle of Say You Love Me also penned chart-topping tunes for the likes
of Crystal Gayle and The Oak Ridge Boys. Although Crowell eventually
subdues the broiling angst that begins The Outsider, his edginess
doesn't dissipate until after he lays waste to hedonistic greed in The
Obscenity Prayer (Give It to Me) and slathers the title track's
dichotomous views of the world in an ominous brew of swampy soul.
http://www.musicbox-online.com/rc-out.html

[John Metzger]

Post by Herbert Abercrombie
And just last night I put on yet another of his older, most unremarkable
albums, and mused: "whatever happened to Rodney Crowell?".
Ken West

Well there ya go. He's definitely been on quite a roll lately, though I
don't think the new album is quite as good as Fate's Right Hand.
Nevertheless, it's worth picking up just to hear Crowell and Emmylou
Harris deliver Dylan's Shelter from the Storm.