Triage

by Rodney Crowell

Overview

In 2017, Rodney Crowell was diagnosed with dysautonomia, a medical condition that impacts the nerves that regulate involuntary body functions, and in 2020, he and the rest of the world had to sit back and watch for months as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. Between those two events, no one could blame Crowell for taking a deep look into himself and the world around him while he was writing his latest batch of songs, and that's just what he's done. 2021's Triage is an unusually personal and philosophical effort from a songwriter not always given to looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Triage is well-titled, as this set of songs finds Crowell trying to make sense of the troubles that disturb humanity these days as we try to figure out what can be done, and there's a lot on his mind: global warming ("Something Has to Change"), our perception of God and faith ("I'm All About Love"), the divide between the haves and have-nots ("Girl on the Street"), and the nature of mortality ("This Body Isn't All There Is to Who I Am"). This might suggest Triage isn't exactly the album to get your next party started, and perhaps it isn't, but it's not a work that's mired in despair. If Crowell has big things on his mind, he hasn't lost touch with the simple joys of living, and the personal songs are the work of a man who wants to do better, while the songs that contemplate the larger world are the work of a man who wants humanity to do better. At the age of 70, Crowell sounds vital and committed along with having a great deal to say, and the spare but colorful arrangements point to the fact that his melodies are just as compelling as his lyrics, which says a great deal. Triage finds Rodney Crowell wearing his heart on his sleeve, and it's a heart that's open and unafraid of life and its challenges. It's a compelling and absorbing work from one of America's best working songwriters. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	07/23/2021
Label:	Rc1 Records
UPC:	0787790338154
Rank:	86672

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rodney Crowell   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Baritone)
Audley Freed   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Electroacoustic)
Joe Robinson   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jen Gunderman   Piano,Accordion,Wurlitzer,Synthesizer
John Jarvis   Organ,Piano
Craig Young   Bass
Larry Klein   Bass
Catherine Marx   Piano,Synthesizer
Greg Morrow   Drums,Percussion
Eamon McLoughlin   Violin,Bouzouki,Mandolin
John Leventhal   Bass,Organ,Mandolin,Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Vocals (Background)
David Henry   Cello
Wendy Moten   Vocal Harmony,Vocals (Background)
Rosanne Cash   Vocals (Background)
Rory Hoffman   Harmonica
Jerry Roe   Drums
John Paul White   Vocal Harmony
Lex Price   Bass
Kai Welch   Organ,Synthesizer
Steuart Smith   Guitar (Electric),Hi String Guitar (Acoustic)
Tania Hancheroff   Vocals (Background)
Michael Rhodes   Bass
Ruth Moody   Vocal Harmony
John Estes   Piano
Jon Radford   Congas
Raymond Mason   Trombone
Ben Tanner   Wurlitzer,Synthesizer
Raymond J. Mason   Trombone
Dan Knobler   Synthesizer,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Jon Estes   Piano
Jake Leventhal   Vocals (Background)
Jakob Leventhal   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Trina Shoemaker   Mixing
Greg Morrow   Engineer
John Leventhal   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Rodney Crowell   Composer,Producer
Ray Mason   Engineer
Jerry Roe   Engineer
Kai Welch   Engineer
Dave McNair   Mastering
Claudia Church   Photography
Joe Robinson   Engineer
Justin Francis   Engineer
Ben Tanner   Engineer
Dan Knobler   Mixing,Engineer,Producer
Kevin Sokolnicki   Assistant Engineer
Jordan Fann   Design,Art Direction
Evan Laing   Assistant Engineer