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 Rich with deep empathy, thoughtful reflections, and vibrant guitar riffs, Rodney Crowell’s new album draws its name from an unassuming stretch of four-lane highway that winds its way deep into Louisiana. Release date: August 29, 2025 Rodney Crowell and producer Tyler Bryant took the long way to make Airline Highway—literally. They loaded a truck with gear and drove two days through the Deep South, heading toward a secluded recording studio tucked away in Louisiana’s swamp country. Somewhere along that route, Crowell pulled out his phone and looked up the road they were traveling: Airline Highway. It turned out to be the southernmost leg of Highway 61—better known as the Blues Highway or the Great River Road—a historic stretch that runs along the Mississippi River from Minnesota all the way to New Orleans. This part of the country is in Crowell’s blood. Raised on the east side of Houston, just a few hours from the Louisiana border, he spent his youth chasing music and mischief across state lines, drawn by the lure of live bands, strong drinks, and wild nights. Airline Highway is an album steeped in enduring affections—old songs, past loves, faded memories. Tracks like “Sometime Thang” and “Rainy Days in California” (which features Lukas Nelson) raise toasts to former flames and fleeting connections, set in the smoky corners of California bars or deep in the Louisiana heat. There’s heartbreak and nostalgia, but also hard-won wisdom, especially in “Taking Flight,” a duet with Ashley McBryde that distills the ache of distance into a single line: “that small voice on your phone.” While some of the stories are imagined, Crowell says, each one carries a trace of real-life experience. “At this point in my life, I’ve got more years behind me than ahead,” Crowell reflects. “I’m in my seventies now, and while I’m still excited about what’s to come, most of what’s worth reflecting on is in the rearview mirror.” One thing he’s still looking forward to? Making music with people who matter to him. “These days, I’m just in love with the process,” he says. “I’ve worked with incredible musicians before, but back then I was chasing something—trying to build a name. I wasn’t always present. My ego got in the way. Now, that part of me’s gone. It’s not about proving anything anymore. It’s about the work itself, and what a gift it is to do it. The work feeds me now, right here, in the moment.” Tracks: 01. Rainy Days In California (Feat. Lukas Nelson) 02. Louisiana Sunshine Feeling Okay (Feat. Larkin Poe) 03. Sometime Thang 04. Some Kind Of Woman 05. Taking Flight (Feat. Ashley McBryde) 06. Simple (You Wouldn’t Call It Simple) 07. The Twenty-One Song Salute (Owed to G.G. Shinn and Cléoma Falcon) (Feat. Tyler Bryant) 08. Don’t Give Up On Me 09. Heaven Can You Help (Feat. Charlie Starr) 10. Maybe Somewhere Down The Road Website: rodneycrowell.com Opmerkingen zijn gesloten.
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