Let The Picture Paint Itself / Jewel Of The South - Rodney Crowell

Released on 17/10/11. Rodney Crowell was one of the most gifted songwriters of the Texas honky-tonk school of the 1970's and 80's. Let The Picture Paint Itself is an impressive record. A collection of Nashville heavy hitters were involved, including Trisha Yearwood and Patty Loveless helping out on backing vocals.

Jewel Of The South rocks and rolls with abandon, from the  40s-tinged big band sound of The Ballad Of Possum Potez to the soaring title track. The record contained a line-up of guitarists that anyone would die for John Jorgenson (once of the Desert Rose Band and already establishing himself as an Elton John sideman), Briton Albert Lee (another graduate of the Hot Band, and musical director for the Everly Brothers), Steuart Smith (later to join the Eagles family), former Cherry Bomb Richard Bennett, and Nashville stalwarts Billy Joe Walker Jr and Kenny Vaughan. When it comes to backing vocals, Vince Gill on The Ladder Of Love (co-written with Lee Roy Parnell), Raul Malo of the Mavericks on the Harlan Howard/Buck Owens number Storm Of Love , Claudia Church on Just Say Yes , and Kim Richey on Please Remember Me