Crowell Rodney: Close ties

150 gram vinyl. Rodney Crowells album ""Close Ties"" visar hans styrka som låtskrivare och hur han hittat balansen mellan personliga minnen, litterär kvalitet och djup musikalitet. ""Close Ties"" är ett av hans mest personliga album samtidigt som det kanske är ett av hans mest lättillgängliga. Livet och konsten smälter samman till ett. ""It"'s a loose concept album, you could say"", berättar Crowell. ""And the concept is related to how you tell stories about yourself. Having a few years ago written a memoir, my sensibilities toward narrative-especially trying to find a common thread in different pieces of writing-had become a part of my songwriting process"". ""Close Ties"" är ett album med djupa musikaliska rötter, inte minst för att Crowell själv har en historia som sträcker sig ända tillbaka till den alternativa country-scenen i det tidiga sjuttiotalet. Och på senare år har etablerandet av Americana-genren betytt mycket för Crowell. ""I have declared my loyalty to Americana. It"'s a hard category for people to get their heads around, or at least the terminology is. But all the people who represent it-Townes van Zandt, Guy Clark, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and more recent stars like John Paul White and Jason Isbell-share a common thread, and that thread is poetry. Whether they are actual poets or their music exemplifies a poetic sensibility, generally speaking, the Americana artist shuns commercial compromise in favor of a singular vision. Which resonates with me"". Det finns även en tydlig ton av blues som präglar ""Close Ties"". ""Recently, I think-I hope-that my study of the blues is starting to show up in my music. Those artists, whether it"'s Lightnin"' Hopkins or John Lee Hooker or the acoustic Delta players, connected to something fundamental. With that in mind, I"'m trying to move forward but also get back there"".