News flash!
For those who think all current Country is crap, this may give you cause to reconsider:
On May 5th New West Records (whose artist roster is of a very high quality) is releasing (on both LP and CD) Rodney Crowell: The Chicago Sessions. I've been tellin' ya'll about Rodney for years now, but have you listened? ;-)
Well, you might now, because for this album Rodney got together with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, both in writing the songs and recording them. I have mixed feelings about this partnership. While I'm all for Rodney attempting to widen his fan base, I consider Crowell a far better songwriter than Tweedy, and a far, far better singer (Tweedy consistently sings slightly flat). Curiously, they won't be singing in duet fashion, but merely in unison.
Why unison? Perhaps because they tried singing harmony and Tweedy couldn't do it. We know for sure Crowell can, there's plenty of evidence of that. He was for years Emmylou Harris' singing partner, and Rodney has recorded duets with Jim Lauderdale as well.
The album was recorded by Tom Schick in Wilco's Chicago loft. I'm perfectly willing to have my opinion of Tweedy's talent elevated. Are you willing to listen to one of the great Americana artists I've been tellin' ya about? No songs about driving down to the creek in a pickup truck to drink beer, I guarantee you. ;-)