New West

Han står inte still, han vill inte hamna i något fack, han vill helt enkelt spela Mosey Music! Denna, hans femte platta, är lika bra som den är en överaskning. Borta är countryn, nu pratar vi (eller snarare lyssnar till) en slags Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder revue-era vs Lee Hazlewood, Tom Waits och Peter Green's In the skies. <br/><br/>Dubbel-LPn är tung, 45 varv och givetvis i mono!

150 gram vinyl.<br/><br/>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.<br/><br/>"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". <br/><br/>"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".<br/><br/>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".

Slog igenom som americana-artist - men har liksom dragit åt lite olika håll, så också på denna platta som via sina tolv låtar är något annat. Likt en korsning av Phil Spector och Lee Hazelwood låter ljudbilden, Daniel skriver fortfarande intelligent och spännade musik - och han spelade in skivan i Sverige - närmare bestämt i Finnsnäs - när han var här och gjorde en rad succé-gigs. Det är en mycket lyckad sak detta, när nytt och gammalt möts. Och sedan sjunger ju Daniel som ingen annan!

180 gram vinyl.<br/><br/>Esteemed musician, songwriter and author Rodney Crowell has teamed up with New West Records to release Tarpaper Sky, his new self-produced album. It comes fast on the heels of Old Yellow Moon, Crowell's critically lauded collaboration with Emmylou Harris, which won a 2013 Grammy® Award and was named 2013 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association.<br/><br/>Crowell has pushed the boundaries of country, folk and roots music since long before the term Americana was coined as a genre, making a name for himself and gaining respect as both a songwriter and as an artist. Celebrating 40 years of making music, Crowell has created an album that harkens back to some of his most revered and loved works. Tarpaper Sky would sit comfortably on the shelf right between the chart-topping fan favorite Diamonds and Dirt (1988) and Life Is Messy (1992). This album marks a reunion of the creative partnership of Crowell and musical accomplice Steuart Smith, who was an integral part of his overall sound during the late '80s.