Rodney Crowell Readies New Collaborative Album, “TEXAS”

Making a collaborative album with some of the most iconic artists from Texas and beyond wasn’t exactly what Houston native Rodney Crowell had in mind when he first started out to write and record his latest record. It just sort of happened that way. First a theme started to develop around the material he was working on. Then he reached out to San Antonio-native Steve Earle to perhaps guest on a track, and later Billy Gibbon’s of Houston-based ZZ Top. Next thing he knew a whole slew of Texas artists were on board, as well as Ringo Starr. Now the result will be Rodney Crowell’s latest record aptly titled TEXAS to be released on August 15th.
“For the last few years, I’d been writing Texas-centric songs and revisiting some of my tunes from as far back as the mid-seventies,” Crowell says. “Last year, I started referring to the collection of songs as the TEXAS album. Interestingly it all started with Ringo Starr who, through a mutual friend, let me know he was keen to record a track. Before I knew it, Lee Ann Womack, Ronnie Dunn, Willie Nelson, Randy Rogers, Lyle Lovett and Vince Gill had climbed on board. Ray Kennedy and I took hold of the production reins, enlisted a cast of bad ass musicians and voilá, TEXAS was born. Man, was it a fun record to make.”
This won’t just be a Texas record in name. The album is said to embrace the musical legacy of the Lone Star State, from twangy two-stepping country songs, to cowboy ballads, to blues rockers embracing the roadhouse influence of Texas music, to even spoken word tracks and songs filled with Texas history. All but four of the 11 tracks will include guest appearances. Along with ample Texas talent, Vince Gill and Ronnie Dunn will also make appearances.
“I have to admit, my heart almost stopped when I got this phone call from Rodney,” says Randy Rogers, who appears on the album’s first song with Lee Ann Womack. “There are really not words to explain how honored I am. He is a true legend to all of us who dream of playing our songs for people who care.”
Lee Ann Womack, who is originally from Jacksonville, TX in the eastern part of the state, appears on two of the tracks of the new record. “I love to work with people who are the best at what they do,” says Womack. “Singing with Rodney is like a master class from one of the greatest singer/songwriters of our time.”
The album will also come right as Rodney Crowell is scheduled to be inducted into the Texas Country Hall of Fame in Carthage, TX on August 10th.
April 16, 2019 @ 7:23 pm
I love history and songs about Texas, and Rodney’s music so this will be good, I am sure! Some good names with him too!
April 16, 2019 @ 7:24 pm
I can’t wait to hear the finished product. Rodney never seems to get his “just due”, and always seems to be slightly overlooked. Hopefully this album will do for him what Way Out West did for Marty Stuart.
And for the record, first song to last, Diamonds and Dirt is among the greatest albums of all time in my opinion.
April 17, 2019 @ 4:32 am
I will listen to anything Lee Ann Womack sings. Anything.
April 17, 2019 @ 8:23 am
Berenstain Bears theme song? I love her doing that one, too!
April 17, 2019 @ 10:58 am
That would be amazing. Gummy Bears would be even tighter.
April 17, 2019 @ 4:36 am
Rodney’s albums are seemingly hit or miss for me. Loved Diamonds & Dirt and The Houston Kid is one of my all-time favorite records. Can’t wait to give this new one a spin.
April 17, 2019 @ 5:54 am
Good news to wake up to…if my memory serves me well, wasn’t he having some health issues? If so, hope he’s back on track. Love his collaborative stuff with Emmylou.
April 17, 2019 @ 8:34 am
Yes he canceled some shows last year, but appears to be on the mend.
April 17, 2019 @ 9:30 am
i wish i liked rodney more . i want to . i’ve listened and i’ve tried .
the stuff with emmy-lou was good ,i thought …not great ….just good .
the song with rosanne and john paul white was forgettable ,i thought .
as someone suggested above ,his stuff , for me , is hit or miss , and mostly about rodney . i can’t find myslef in Rodney’s music…….and not because i’m not from Texas …but because i don’t think i’m in there .
April 17, 2019 @ 11:26 am
Have you listened to Diamonds and Dirt? That’s my favorite album of his and one of the first country records I bought.
My enthusiasm for his music has waned a bit in recent years (though I buy every one), but that one is a classic.
April 17, 2019 @ 3:34 pm
I literally wore out my Diamonds & Dirt cassette when I was a kid and had to beg my mom to buy me another one! (Thankfully she did!) It is a must listen!
April 17, 2019 @ 11:33 am
No, she actually did do the Berenstain Bears theme song from the cartoon. My 6 year old watches it so I hear it quite often. She does a great job of it!
April 17, 2019 @ 4:02 pm
It’s always weird seeing my hometown of Carthage, TX mentioned in the wild. It’s also weird that as a devotee of country music, I’ve never actually visited the Texas Country Hall of Fame that’s right in the middle of town.