 
The self-exploration of Rodney Crowell continues. He has always been one of Nashville’s best songwriters, but Crowell’s music has taken on more intimacy and relevancy in the last several years than ever before. His latest CD, the sharply written and pointed “The Outsider,” continues the introspective journey that began with his outstanding 2001 autobiographical release, “Houston Kid.” His 2003 CD, ‘Fate’s Right Hand,” took Crowell on a spiritual path. This time, Crowell broadens his theme to today’s politics, but it’s still a very personal record. Despite the thorniness of the topic, Crowell handles the material well. His song, “The Obscenity Prayer,” delivers a good rant on greed and apathy. Rather than point the finger at others, Crowell is smart enough to write the song in the first person. He uses himself to sort through all the things that he doesn’t believe. “I despise all bleeding hearts/I don’t patronize the arts,” he sings. The title track is quick to point out people’s different viewpoints and circumstances, but Crowell also attempts to show that there is some common ground. Another song, “Say You Love Me,” has the groove of a 1960s garage band, but even here he has social values on his mind. Crowell has had a long and varied career in music. In the 1970s, he wrote several songs for Emmylou Harris and played in her band. She joins him on the album for a duet of Dylan’s “Shelter From the Storm,” the only song on the CD that Crowell did not write. Harris and John Prine also provide beautiful spoken word performances on the gospel-flavored “Ignorance Is The Enemy.” Crowell is at his most outspoken on “The Outsider,” and
it’s one of his strongest albums. - D. Kimura
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Rodney
Crowell