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Take a look at the cover of Rodney Crowell’s brilliant new album, The Chicago Sessions, and you might recognize a familiar callback to the legendary songwriter’s 1978 debut.
“In a lot of ways, this album feels like that very first record to me,” Crowell reflects. “When my daughter Chelsea suggested we lay the artwork out similarly, the connection made perfect sense. There’s something very simple, very innocent about it. It’s just me and the band in a room together, loose and live and having fun.”
Produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, The Chicago Sessions is indeed a throwback to Crowell’s early days of making records, but it’s no nostalgia trip. The songs here are vital and timely, touching on everything from love and mortality to race and religion, and the performances are nothing short of intoxicating, fueled by raw guitars, honky-tonk piano, and tight, punchy drums. Tweedy wields a light touch as a producer, his influence subtle yet unmistakable, and engineer Tom Schick’s mixes are dynamic and alive, alternately lush and spacious in all the right places with a spotlight fixed firmly on Crowell’s warm, weathered vocals throughout. Put it all together and you’ve got a masterful, cross-generational collaboration that manages to feel both fresh and familiar all at once, an incisive, engaging collection that balances careful craftsmanship with joyful liberation at every turn.
credits
released May 5, 2023
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Produced by Jeff Tweedy
Recorded & Mixed by Tom Schick
Recorded at The Loft - Chicago, Illinois
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios - Portland, Maine
Art Direction & Design: Karen Cronin
Photography: Jamie Kelter Davis
Management: Ken Levitan, Brian Penix, Jason Henke // Vector Management
Booking: Paul Lohr // New Frontier Touring
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Musicians
Rodney Crowell: guitars, vocals
Jeff Tweedy: guitars, banjo, vocals
Jedd Hughes: guitars, mandolin, vocals
Catherine Marx: piano, organ
Zachariah Hickman: bass
John Perrine: drums
Spencer Tweedy: drums, vocals
Steuart Smith: acoustic guitar on "Making Lovers Out Of Friends"
Additional Singers
Sarah Buxton
Molly Sarlé
Liam Kazar
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"Loving You Is The Only Way To Fly" was written by Rodney Crowell, Jedd Hughes, and Sarah Buxton
BMG Gold Songs/RC One Music (ASCAP) - All Rights Administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC / We Jam Writers Group (ASCAP) / Bamatown Publishing c/o Mighty Nice Music/Tiltawhirl Music/We're Going To Maui Music c/o Songs of Universal (BMI)
"Everything At Once" by Rodney Crowell and Jeff Tweedy
BMG Gold Songs/RC One Music (ASCAP) - All Rights Administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC / Words Ampersand Music (BMI) - All Rights Administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC
"Making Lovers Out of Friends" by Rodney Crowell and Ashley McBryde
BMG Gold Songs/RC One Music (ASCAP) - All Rights Administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC / Songs of Harpeth Valley (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) and Canned Biscuit Songs (BMI) - All Rights Administered by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
"No Place to Fall" by the Late Great Townes Van Zandt
JTVZ Music / Katie Bell Music / Will Van Zandt Publishing (ASCAP)
administered in the United States by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.
All other songs written by Rodney Crowell
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Thank You: Chelsea Crowell, Ken Levitan, John Allen, Mark Greenberg, and Lisa Jenkins.
Special thanks to Jeff, Tom, and Claudia.
supported by 132 fans who also own “The Chicago Sessions”
What more can you say about two of the best talents in music today? Everything they do is gold. They are what keeps your faith in new music. My year is complete! thank you for sharing your gifts. norm tandberg
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