Not that Crowell was always chasing platinum; there’s some weird stuff too. Take for example "Oh King Richard," an extended metaphor song that conflates Shakespeare's King Richard V with NASCAR great Richard Petty, or the arty Dylanesque word avalanche of "Fate's Right Hand." In each case you can hear Crowell straining at the conventions of country songwriting and coming up with something truly unique and a little exciting situated in the middle of a crop of otherwise straight-ahead country songs; ravers, weepers, and pensive drinkers.
The Essential Rodney Crowell contains what I believe to be the single ballsiest songwriting move ever attempted, "I Walk The Line (Revisited)." Basically a meta-song about the first time he heard Johnny Cash sing "I Walk The Line," on the radio in his father's truck driving through the pine barrens of East Texas, Crowell went so far as to invite his father-in-law, one John R. Cash, into the studio to sing the bridges, which consist of lines like "I keep a close watch on this heart of mine" and "because you're mine, I walk the line." While maybe not "essential," what could have been a cheap gimmick ends up coming off as both a fun lark and a sincere homage.
Given the incredible strength of the songwriting, any fan of alt-country or the less boot-scootin’ varieties of modern country pop really ought to lay out for this one, if only to hear what Nashville would still sound like if there was any justice in the world.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Well I much more enjoyed reading your take about country music than I do listening to it. (are there any country music podcasts out there???)
I like Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and even Dolly Parton (9 to 5 and Jolene, Coat of Many Colors are faves). There's very little today I can stand. My brother tried sending me a Big and Rich CD ... Well, he did send it to me saying it was one of the few country groups he liked, but it sounded the same.
Something about fake country accents and, I don't know. Something's wrong, I just don't like the genre at all - and I'm a pretty wide-open guy when it comes to musical tastes.
You point out an interesting country radio phenomenon that I, of course, have never noticed. I wonder if other long-time country music fans share the same experience.
Saying all that, I promoted this review to Advance.net. That means I put it here (and these places) where it could potentially be read by another few hundred thousand readers.
- Thank you for the post. Temple Stark
2 - Temple Stark
Now that you mention it here, yeah, you wrote a killer review.
And I heard the Revisited on the Johnny Cash Legend series. It was truly great. I didn't know it was his father-in-law though. Well, actually I think I did but then forgot again.