Rodney Crowell at The Basement
by Jewly Hight
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Lest anyone wonder what Rodney Crowell has been up to lately, it appears he's been reading Betty Friedan. Four albums into his prophetic, Dylanesque phase of songwriting, Crowell has taken up a new topic: women. Not that he hasn't written songs about women before (he has, plenty), but this time he's scrutinizing--in highly literary fashion--the way they're forced to show some skinny young leg to get anywhere in life. Hell, he even attempting their point of view on "The Rise and Fall of Intelligent Design." Crowell's got a different label (Yep Roc) and producer (Joe Henry) on board for Sex and Gasoline. And Henry--with a crew of subtle geniuses including guitarists Greg Leisz and Doyle Bramhall II and drummer Jay Bellerose--stays close to the skin with lithe, pulsing production. One thing's for sure--nobody can accuse Crowell of skirting tough subject matter, or taking it lightly.
Mon., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., 2008
Mon., Sept. 22, 8 p.m., 2008
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