Released on CD only in 2001, Rodney Crowell’s The Houston Kid is finally available on LP. It is the current Vinyl Me Please Country Music Record Of The Month (March), and is one of those rare animals: a perfect album. Eleven excellent songs, comprising a thematic (rather than concept) album. One song tells Rodney’s autobiographical story of his first hearing of Johnny Cashes "I Walk The Line", sung as a duet with Johnny himself. Johnny was of course Rodney’s father-in-law when Rodney was married to Rosanne Cash.
The Houston Kid is in my Top 10 Albums Of All-Time list. Not just great songs, but superb musicianship by some of Nashville’s A-List players. Great singing by Rodney, and lots of great harmony singing too. I have listened to this album every day for many years, and it hasn’t gotten old. Rodney also wrote a memoir (Chinaberry Sidewalks), which can be viewed as a companion piece.
