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FATE’S RIGHT HAND
(DMZ/Epic)
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In 2001, Rodney Crowell re-emerged from a self-imposed seven-year exile as a rocking singer-songwriter with The Houston Kid, a reminder that there’s more to Nashville than big hair and trite anthems. Crowell’s follow-up uses his 30 years of experience to prove he has still more in his tank. As you’d expect from any release on T-Bone Burnett’s new DMZ label, the production and the playing are superb. Session aces join Béla Fleck, Jerry Douglas, Kim Richey, and Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings to give the tunes just enough polish that they sound precise rather than processed. When Crowell is digging deep into his psyche (his Web site lists the particular inspiration for every song on the album) on "Come On Funny Feeling" or "Earthbound," it’s easy to see why he has such a great reputation as an American songwriter. But when he forces himself into social commentary, as he does on the title track and "It’s a Different World Now," the result is uneven. He’s earnest but not always artful, and that leads to a few lines of absolute dreck side-by-side with brilliant lyrics, sometimes in the same song. But Crowell has the humor, guts, and talent to save him from his worst instincts. Which is what Fate’s Right Hand is all about.
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