Rodney Crowell has announced a new album produced by Jeff Tweedy. The country music songwriter will share The Chicago Sessions on May 5 via New West Records.
Recorded at Wilco's Loft studio in the collection's titular city, The Chicago Sessions features Tweedy on vocals, guitar and banjo throughout the listen, with further contributions coming from guitarist Jedd Hughes, pianist Catherine Marx, bassist Zachariah Hickman, and drummers John Perrine and Spencer Tweedy.
"Everything at Once" is the first song to arrive from the album; it's a co-write between Crowell and Tweedy that you can hear below alongside a video shot in-studio at the Loft.
"It occurred to me that Jeff and I are both songwriters, and we ought to write something together for this album," Crowell shares in a statement. "We could have harmonized on it and gone down an Everly Brothers route, but ultimately we decided to just sing in unison and throw it out there like an all-skate. I love that we didn't get too precious about it."
Crowell — who has written songs for genre greats including Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Strait — also covers "No Place to Fall" by his late friend Townes Van Zandt, and puts a new arrangement to his own "You're Supposed to Be Feeling Good," first recorded by Emmylou Harris in 1977.
"The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I've always loved," Tweedy adds. "In my estimation, it's as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that."
Pre-order The Chicago Sessions.
The Chicago Sessions:
1. Lucky
2. Somebody Loves You
3. Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly
4. You're Supposed to Be Feeling Good
5. No Place to Fall
6. Oh Miss Claudia
7. Everything at Once (feat. Jeff Tweedy)
8. Ever the Dark
9. Making Lovers Out of Friends
10. Ready to Move On
Recorded at Wilco's Loft studio in the collection's titular city, The Chicago Sessions features Tweedy on vocals, guitar and banjo throughout the listen, with further contributions coming from guitarist Jedd Hughes, pianist Catherine Marx, bassist Zachariah Hickman, and drummers John Perrine and Spencer Tweedy.
"Everything at Once" is the first song to arrive from the album; it's a co-write between Crowell and Tweedy that you can hear below alongside a video shot in-studio at the Loft.
"It occurred to me that Jeff and I are both songwriters, and we ought to write something together for this album," Crowell shares in a statement. "We could have harmonized on it and gone down an Everly Brothers route, but ultimately we decided to just sing in unison and throw it out there like an all-skate. I love that we didn't get too precious about it."
Crowell — who has written songs for genre greats including Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and George Strait — also covers "No Place to Fall" by his late friend Townes Van Zandt, and puts a new arrangement to his own "You're Supposed to Be Feeling Good," first recorded by Emmylou Harris in 1977.
"The way that Rodney writes is deeply connected to a classic era of country songwriters that I've always loved," Tweedy adds. "In my estimation, it's as close as I can get to working with Townes Van Zandt or Felice and Boudleaux Bryant — people who crafted songs with a very specific sensibility. And I like being near that."
Pre-order The Chicago Sessions.
The Chicago Sessions:
1. Lucky
2. Somebody Loves You
3. Loving You Is the Only Way to Fly
4. You're Supposed to Be Feeling Good
5. No Place to Fall
6. Oh Miss Claudia
7. Everything at Once (feat. Jeff Tweedy)
8. Ever the Dark
9. Making Lovers Out of Friends
10. Ready to Move On