Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
After the commercial falloff of Keys to the Highway, Rodney Crowell took two and a half years crafting his seventh album, Life Is Messy, in the interim going through a divorce from his wife, Rosanne Cash. The most notable characteristic of Life Is Messy was that it marked a complete return to his original style. With nary a steel guitar or fiddle to be heard, and featuring top pop session musicians as well as a slew of pop guest stars (Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Steve Winwood, etc.), Life Is Messy wasn't really a country record at all. A couple of songs had a country-rock, honky tonk feel, but the dominant musical style was a pastiche of late-'50s/early-'60s pop. The title song was a somewhat abstract meditation on romantic discord and career disappointment that was followed by the equally despairing "I Hardly Know How to Be Myself," which actually had been co-written with Cash. These songs sounded so pained and deeply felt that some of the more uptempo songs came off as trivial, even if they made for a change of pace. But other songs came up to their standard without being quite so low in mood. "Alone But Not Alone" found the singer beginning to find his way, and "It's Not for Me to Judge" revealed the noncommittal feelings one can have when emotional certainties are uprooted. Taken together, the songs on Life Is Messy made for a fascinating portrait of an artist at a personal and professional crossroad -- but it didn't have much to do with commercial country music circa 1992, which is what it was primarily marketed as. After a few months, Columbia Records pulled the plug on promotion and parted ways with Crowell, who moved on to MCA Records.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - Rodney Crowell, Producer - Bobby Colomby, Producer - John Leventhal, Producer - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Larry Klein, Producer - Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - Will Jennings, Composer - Will Jennings, Lyricist - Roy Orbison, Lyricist - Roy Orbison, Composer - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
1992 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Producer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - John Leventhal, Producer - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - CJ Vanston, Producer - John Leventhal, Producer - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Producer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - Rosanne Cash, Composer - Rosanne Cash, Lyricist - John Leventhal, Producer - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - John Leventhal, Producer - John Leventhal, Composer - John Leventhal, Lyricist - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Larry Klein, Producer - Larry Klein, Composer - Larry Klein, Lyricist - Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Larry Klein, Producer - Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
1992 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Producer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - John Leventhal, Producer - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Rodney Crowell, Performer - Rodney Crowell, Composer - Rodney Crowell, Producer - Rodney Crowell, Lyricist - John Leventhal, Producer - John Leventhal, Composer - John Leventhal, Lyricist - Randy Kling, Mastering Engineer
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Album review
After the commercial falloff of Keys to the Highway, Rodney Crowell took two and a half years crafting his seventh album, Life Is Messy, in the interim going through a divorce from his wife, Rosanne Cash. The most notable characteristic of Life Is Messy was that it marked a complete return to his original style. With nary a steel guitar or fiddle to be heard, and featuring top pop session musicians as well as a slew of pop guest stars (Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Steve Winwood, etc.), Life Is Messy wasn't really a country record at all. A couple of songs had a country-rock, honky tonk feel, but the dominant musical style was a pastiche of late-'50s/early-'60s pop. The title song was a somewhat abstract meditation on romantic discord and career disappointment that was followed by the equally despairing "I Hardly Know How to Be Myself," which actually had been co-written with Cash. These songs sounded so pained and deeply felt that some of the more uptempo songs came off as trivial, even if they made for a change of pace. But other songs came up to their standard without being quite so low in mood. "Alone But Not Alone" found the singer beginning to find his way, and "It's Not for Me to Judge" revealed the noncommittal feelings one can have when emotional certainties are uprooted. Taken together, the songs on Life Is Messy made for a fascinating portrait of an artist at a personal and professional crossroad -- but it didn't have much to do with commercial country music circa 1992, which is what it was primarily marketed as. After a few months, Columbia Records pulled the plug on promotion and parted ways with Crowell, who moved on to MCA Records.
© William Ruhlmann /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:42:23
- Main artists: Rodney Crowell
- Composer: Rodney Crowell
- Label: Lucky Dog
- Genre: Blues/Country/Folk Country
(P) 1992 SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.