Airline Highway

Theres a lot to be said for having a really good guitar player on hand when youre making a record, and Rodney Crowell knows all about that. For his 2025 album Airline Highway, Crowell brought in Tyler Bryant, guitarist with the Shakedown, to produce the sessions and play lead, and while the results fall short of being a real rock & roll album, Bryants knack for a good, bluesy solo and adding a quality growl to the rhythm work gives this music a tougher vibe than Crowell has conjured on his last few efforts. "The Twenty One Song Salute" cuts a superior rockabilly groove, with Crowell even invoking "Be Bop a Lula" in the lyrics, "Dont Give Up On Me" weds a hard, bluesy tune with lyrics pleading for a lover to stick around, "Some Kind of Woman" is a suitably awestruck tribute to a very special gal, and "Rainy Days in California" packs an easygoing but potent punch with some fine slide guitar work. (The latter features a guest spot from Lukas Nelson; Larkin Poe contributes to the sunny mood of "Louisiana Sunshine Feeling Okay," Charlie Starr of Blackberry Smoke pops up on the dark, moody "Heaven Can You Help," and Ashley McBrydes vocals add resonance to the everyday tragedies of "Taking Flight.") Bryant doesnt push Crowell into a tougher and more rollicking sound when it doesnt serve the song, and numbers like "Simple (You Wouldnt Call It Simple)," "Sometime Thang," and "Maybe Somewhere Down the Road" are low-key tracks that give Crowell room to pass along some valuable life lessons. The intelligence of Crowells songwriting hasnt faded a bit in the 45 years since he made his first LP, and the faint grain time has brought to his voice only adds to the authority of his singing; he sounds like a man who has seen enough of life to have plenty to say about it thats worth hearing. When Rodney Crowell feels like rocking a bit, Airline Highway gives him all the swagger he needs, and even when he doesnt, he confirms hes nobodys fool and remains one of the best songwriters in the Americana community. ~ Mark Deming

前作はジェフ・トゥイーディー(ウィルコ)のプロデュースが話題になったが、今回はルーカス・ネルソンやラーキン・ポーらが、半世紀以上のキャリアを誇るシンガー・ソングライターのヴェルヴェット・ヴォイスに華を添える。カントリーだけにとどまらないアメリカーナなルーツ・ロックとして楽しみたい。"Some Kind Of Woman"のハードボイルドな歌いっぷりにシビれる。
bounce (C)山口智男