Rodney Crowell: The Chicago Sessions Tour

Take a look at the cover of Rodney Crowell’s brilliant new album, The Chicago Sessions, and you might recognize a familiar callback to the legendary songwriter’s 1978 debut.

“In a lot of ways, this album feels like that very first record to me,” Crowell reflects. “When my daughter Chelsea suggested we lay the artwork out similarly, the connection made perfect sense. There’s something very simple, very innocent about it. It’s just me and the band in a room together, loose and live and having fun.”

Produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, The Chicago Sessions is indeed a throwback to Crowell’s early days of making records, but it’s no nostalgia trip. The songs are vital and timely, touching on everything from love and mortality to race and religion, and the performances are nothing short of intoxicating, fueled by raw guitars, honky-tonk piano, and tight, punchy drums. Tweedy wields a light touch as a producer, his influence subtle yet unmistakable, and engineer Tom Schick’s mixes are dynamic and alive, alternately lush and spacious in all the right places with a spotlight fixed firmly on Crowell’s warm, weathered vocals throughout. Put it all together and you’ve got a masterful, cross-generational collaboration that manages to feel both fresh and familiar all at once, an incisive, engaging collection that balances careful craftsmanship with joyful liberation at every turn.

“I’ve produced quite a few of my own records over the years,” Crowell explains, “but I think I’m a better performer when someone else is wearing that hat. I feel so much more relaxed and present when all I need to do is play and sing, and Jeff’s studio was like a playground for us to let go and lose ourselves in the songs.”

In addition to his prolific output as a singer, songwriter, and producer, Crowell also found time to become a celebrated author, too, publishing his memoir, Chinaberry Streets, and a lyrical retrospective, Word For Word, to widespread praise. Along the way, NPR declared him the “literarily inclined elder statesman of the Americana scene,” while Rolling Stone hailed him as a “country music trailblazer,” and the New York Times proclaimed that his songwriting “gets better and sharper with age.”

Laurel Lewis is an independent Americana singer-songwriter from Southeastern Kentucky who writes and composes music with moving lyrics and distinctive chord progressions sure to keep the audience’s interest. Her music reaches the darkest depths of the oceans and brings a light to any melody she embraces.

Lewis is no stranger to the spotlight. She has performed at an array of venues across the country, including The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, The Bitter End in New York City, The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, and many more. She has joined the stage and worked with artists such as Rodney Crowell, Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, and Iris Dement.

​Laurel’s debut album, Back to the Blue (released under the name Madison), was a carefully crafted project of original songs from her earlier years of songwriting. Back to the Blue received write-ups in No Depression, Saving Country Music, and even landed a spot on Sixthman’s best albums of 2017 list. While her style has continuously altered as life simply carries on, her songs have always and will always remain honest, compelling, and influential.

Currently, Laurel is working on another studio album with the legendary Rodney Crowell producing. Her blend of genres is delicately placed throughout her new project and will once again showcase the range of ability in both her voice and her songwriting. In a world of cookie-cutter similarities and those jumping on musical bandwagons, she chooses to bring music to the table that is uniquely her own. The best musical creations are the ones that are unique, and Laurel Lewis is exactly that.