Houston Kid
Consider this an album-length sequel to "Ain't Livin' Long Like This," the autobiographical anthem that established Rodney Crowell at the songwriting vanguard of mid-'70s Nashville. Though his career has seen more misfires than hits in recent years, his music here returns to its purest, strongest impulses. Whether he's taking creative leaps beyond the facts of his life ("The Rock of My Soul," "I Wish It Would Rain") or operating within a more transparently confessional mode ("Why Don't We Talk About It," "I Know Love Is All I Need"), the results ring redemptively true. The album's centerpiece is a duet withJohnny Cashon "I Walk the Line (Revisited)," as Crowell puts his imprint on one of his former father-in-law's signature tunes. With echoes of some formative influences--from Sun rockabilly and Houston honky-tonk toBuddy Hollyand theByrds--Crowell's music provides buoyant complement to the plainspoken testament of the lyrics.--Don McLeese