Lauded Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell has been writing and recording some of the most memorable tunes in the country music songbook since the early 1970s. Yesterday (May 28), he proved he has no plans to slow down anytime soon when he announced his next album, Airline Highway. The lead single, “Taking Flight,” features Ashley McBryde, who also co-wrote the song with Crowell.
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Airline Highway comes at a particularly interesting moment in Crowell’s career. While he is celebrated by fans of Texas country (and expertly written songs) and artists alike, he has struggled to find mainstream success for most of his long career. Recently, though, his flowers have started to roll in. He was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters alongside legendary authors Sandra Cisneros (The House on Mango Street), Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove), and Cormac McCarthy (The Road, No Country for Old Men). Additionally, Willie Nelson paid tribute to Crowell with his most recent album, Oh What a Beautiful World.
[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Rodney Crowell Wrote For Other Artists]
Airline Highway sees the singer/songwriter striking a balance between finding new perspectives on his past while living comfortably in the present. Produced by Tyler Bryant (The Shakedown), who Crowell calls one of the “most impressive young men” he’s met in quite some time, and recorded in Louisiana, the album captures a band playing fast and loose behind carefully crafted songs. The album features guest appearances from Bryant, McBryde, Lukas Nelson, Larkin Poe, and Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke)
Rodney Crowell and Ashley McBryde on “Taking Flight”
Rodney Crowell and Ashley McBryde discussed the new single “Taking Flight” in a press release.
“Ashley came over to the house to take a swing at writing a song together. ‘Flight’ is a fictional account of a discussion we had about stardom and driving at night in the South,” Crowell shared. “With the exception of the Allman Brothers, I can’t say I was ever a fan of ‘Southern Rock.’ Tyler Bryant’s off-the-cuff guitar solo at the end of the song made me reconsider,” he added.
”Simply sitting across from Rodney is magical. Writing a song with an icon is such an honor, and being able to call him my friend is one of the great joys of my life,” McBryde shared. “’Taking Flight’ explored heartache on a plane I hadn’t been on before. For Rodney to choose me as a co-writer and a singer is something that only existed in dreams. This record speaks for itself, and I am so happy I get to be a part of its journey.”
Airline Highway Tracklist and Information
Rodney Crowell’s Airline Highway will hit record store shelves and digital streaming platforms on August 29 via New West Records. Fans can pre-order physical copies of the album now.
Tracklist:
- “Rainy Days in California” featuring Lukas Nelson
- “Louisiana Sunshine Feeling Okay” featuring Larkin Poe
- “Sometime Thing”
- “Some Kind of Woman”
- “Taking Flight” featuring Ashley McBryde
- “Simple (You Wouldn’t Call It Simple)”
- “The Twenty-One Song Salute (Owed to G.G. Shinn and Cléoma Falcon)” featuring Tyler Bryant
- “Don’t Give Up on Me”
- “Heaven Can You Help” featuring Charlie Starr
- “Maybe Somewhere Down the Road”
Featured Image by Neilson Hubbard
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