Rodney Crowell Announces Jeff Tweedy-Produced New Album
Rodney Crowell, the 72-year-old country artist, has announced a new album produced by Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. The Chicago Sessions is out 5 May via New West. The Texan singer-songwriter recorded the album at Wilco’s Loft studio in Chicago.
Tweedy appears throughout the album, including the lead single Everything at Once. Tweedy’s son, Spencer, plays drums on the record. Watch the video, filmed during the album’s sessions, below.
Crowell has written hit songs for country greats including Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Strait. “The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I’ve always loved,” Tweedy said in a press release. “In my estimation, it’s as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant—people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that.”
“It occurred to me that Jeff and I are both songwriters, and we ought to write something together for this album,” Crowell says of Everything At Once. “We could have harmonized on it and gone down an Everly Brothers route, but ultimately we decided to just sing in unison and throw it out there like an all-skate. I love that we didn’t get too precious about it.”
The Chicago Sessions also includes Townes Van Zandt’s “No Place to Fall. “The first time I heard that song, Townes was sitting across the table from me at Guy and Susanna Clark’s house,” Crowell recalls. “He said, ‘Hey, I’ve got a new song for you,’ and it’s been imprinted on my psyche ever since. I wanted to record it as an homage to somebody that I learned a lot about songwriting from.”
Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions:
01 Lucky
02 Somebody Loves You
03 Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly
04 You’re Supposed to Be Feeling Good
05 No Place to Fall
06 Oh Miss Claudia
07 Everything at Once [ft. Jeff Tweedy]
08 Ever the Dark
09 Making Lovers Out of Friends
10 Ready to Move On