In 2017,
Rodney Crowell was diagnosed with dysautonomia, a medical condition that impacts the nerves that regulate involuntary body functions, and in 2020, he and the rest of the world had to sit back and watch for months as the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world. Between those two events, no one could blame
Crowell for taking a deep look into himself and the world around him while he was writing his latest batch of songs, and that's just what he's done. 2021's
Triage is an unusually personal and philosophical effort from a songwriter not always given to looking at the world through rose-colored glasses.
Triage is well-titled, as this set of songs finds
Crowell trying to make sense of the troubles that disturb humanity these days as we try to figure out what can be done, and there's a lot on his mind: global warming ("Something Has to Change"), our perception of God and faith ("I'm All About Love"), the divide between the haves and have-nots ("Girl on the Street"), and the nature of mortality ("This Body Isn't All There Is to Who I Am"). This might suggest
Triage isn't exactly the album to get your next party started, and perhaps it isn't, but it's not a work that's mired in despair. If
Crowell has big things on his mind, he hasn't lost touch with the simple joys of living, and the personal songs are the work of a man who wants to do better, while the songs that contemplate the larger world are the work of a man who wants humanity to do better. At the age of 70,
Crowell sounds vital and committed along with having a great deal to say, and the spare but colorful arrangements point to the fact that his melodies are just as compelling as his lyrics, which says a great deal.
Triage finds
Rodney Crowell wearing his heart on his sleeve, and it's a heart that's open and unafraid of life and its challenges. It's a compelling and absorbing work from one of America's best working songwriters. ~ Mark Deming