The Outsider [Digipak] (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Emmylou Harris (vocals); Will Kimbrough (electric guitar); Steve Fishell (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (fiddle); John Mock (tin whistle, concertina); John Hobbs (organ); Tony Harrell (keyboards); Michael Rhodes (bass guitar); Eddie Bayers, Shannon Forrest (drums).

Rodney Crowell's The Outsider is a natural extension of his last two offerings: The Houston Kid and Fate's Right Hand. Where The Houston Kid was Crowell's autobiographical confessional and Fate's Right Hand was deeply philosophical and influenced by everything from Zen to the working through of anger, The Outsider digs deep into social and political consciousness. The album rocks harder than any Crowell record in the past, as evidenced by "Don't Get Me Started," which is an anti-war anthem that takes aim at the war in Iraq. Immediately following is "The Obscenity Prayer," written from the point of view of a hypocritical right-wing pleasure seeker whose positions are not only indefensible, they are, at worst, obscene. Conversely, the Zen-like advice in "Dancin' Circles Round the Sun" is a tough country rocker with killer rockabilly guitar lines by Stewart Smith and Hammond B3 grooves by John Hobbs. It is a testament to personal responsibility and awakening that exhorts and admonishes but never preaches. There is great tenderness here, as well, such as in the acoustically driven "Ignorance Is the Enemy," with its prayer-like cadence and spoken-word vocals by Emmylou Harris and John Prine. "Glasgow Girl" is as fine a country-rock love song as has been written in recent years. The album closes with "We Can't Turn Back Now," a rousing call for acceptance, forbearance, and perseverance, whose guitars and big bassline is graced by a stellar fiddle line and a beautifully delicate tin whistle winding through it all. Crowell -- still writing hits for "Hot 100" country artists to help finance and keep creative control of his recordings -- has matured into an artist who has the of hard-won experience that displays itself as poetically wrought wisdom. His work is full of humor, light, poignancy, and killer hooks. He's now written and recorded three big topic records, all of which surpass his early work. The only thing missing here now is a record on the other big topic: Love. Perhaps that's coming. Until then, The Outsider is the Rodney Crowell recording to listen to, debate with, and be inspired by. ~ Thom Jurek

Singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell's literate, introspective lyrics and his musical mix of country, rock, and folk continues to develop and deepen on this 2005 release. Whereas 2003's FATE'S RIGHT HAND leaned toward rootsy-but-modern country, THE OUTSIDER turns up the guitars, as the amped-up opener, "Say You Love Me," indicates, and the slinky, thumping title track confirms. But even while Crowell adds muscle to his sound, his pen is still mightier, and THE OUTSIDER is filled with clever turns of phrase, satiric barbs, and vivid imagery.

The fact that Crowell covers a Bob Dylan song here (a lovely take on "Shelter from the Storm," rendered as a duet with Emmylou Harris) is not coincidental. The influence of Dylan hangs heavy in Crowell's songwriting, from his critiques of consumer culture ("The Obscenity Prayer") to his moments of personal revelation ("Beautiful Despair"). Help from luminaries like Harris, John Prine, and Buddy and Julie Miller help round out the sound of the THE OUTSIDER, another fine addition to Crowell's increasingly impressive catalogue. minimize