Rodney Crowell’s Then Again was released today via New West Records. The 10-track set was produced by Crowell and Steuart Smith with additional production by Dan Knobler. Largely recorded two decades ago, the previously unreleased album features appearances by Guy Clark in their final collaboration, Lyle Lovett, Benmont Tench, as well as Emmylou Harris and Lera Lynn on the bonus track, “Go Light a Candle.” Crowell says, “I guess you could call it a lost album. I stumbled upon it in my vault at home. I’d forgotten about it completely.”

Met with critical acclaim, Uncut Magazine named it their “Americana Album of the Month,” saying “This is Crowell in classic mode, from master fabulist to pithy observer, droll cultural commentator to spiritual disciple” while The Arts Desk said “Then Again should be in the collection of any self-respecting lover of Americana. Crowell’s a true legend.” Glide Magazine said “…he has long been one of our best songwriters. Then Again only further cements his legendary status” and upon the album announcement, Variety exclaimed “It might seem odd that anyone could record an album as first-rate as Then Again and then not only shelve it, but forget about it. But not everyone is Rodney Crowell…”

Musically, Then Again is as varied and inventive as anything he’s ever done and a twenty-year wait means it is haunted by ghosts: old songs and old possibilities, as well as old compadres, old heroes, and at the center of it all an old version of Crowell himself. He says, “I’m glad I put it on the shelf, because now is the time for it. It may not be the time for it for the rest of the world, but it’s time for it for me.” Then Again has been biding its time, waiting for the moment when its songs would hit hardest. And they hit incredibly hard now, largely because age and experience have granted the legendary Crowell a richer perspective.

Today, People Magazine shared the video for the album highlight “Whatcha Gonna Do Now #2 (Feat. Lyle Lovett & Chely Wright)” alongside a feature with Rodney Crowell.

Back in 2006, Crowell was coming off a trilogy of albums—The Houston Kid in 2001, Fate’s Right Hand in 2003, The Outsider in 2005—that re-established him as a fearless voice in Americana and attracted new generations of fans drawn to his compassionate storytelling, his detail-laden songwriting, and his eloquent outrage over political injustices. In 2005, he went into Treasure Isle Studios in Nashville with the same band backing him, including Steuart Smith on guitar and co-producing with Crowell, and Benmont Tench flying in to play organ. But when he heard the masters, something didn’t feel quite right. He struggled to figure out exactly what was wrong or what was missing. “There was much talk of the previous albums as a trilogy, so when I finished this one, I listened to it and thought, Oh shit, I just hear all the same sounds and techniques glaring at me. I needed to have a different experience, so I went out to L.A. to make a record with Joe Henry.” Twenty years later, when he found the album in his vaults, he couldn’t remember exactly what tripped him up. He decided it was finally time, if only because “I heard a record I wasn’t sick of. I was no longer sick of myself. That’s what 20 years will do for you.” Putting the finishing touches on Then Again was a lot like catching up with old friends. “I just loved what happened once I rediscovered it. I wanted to call these guys up and say, Hey! Let’s make a new record. Then Again is like having one last dance with those guys.”

Once lost and now found, Then Again, is something Rodney Crowell of the 2000s could never have predicted but something the Rodney Crowell of the 2020s recognizes instinctively: a work of nuance, insight, and sensitivity that considers death but celebrates life. “I’m trying to understand that this spirit of mine is going to leave this body and go off somewhere else. I’ve got a pretty good idea that it’s going to be someplace good, but I still need to perfect some part of my spiritual journey here before I check out. I can see that in these songs now.”

Then Again is available across streaming platforms, compact disc, and standard black vinyl. Limited “Swamp Green” vinyl and compact disc editions, both autographed by Rodney Crowell, are available at Independent Retailers and are also available NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS. 

Then Again Track Listing: 

1. I Won’t Lie
2. Are You One of Us? (feat. Guy Clark)
3. If I Could Speak To Leonard
4. Bring It on Home To Memphis
5. The Ballad of Artemis and Orion
6. Sing Your Heart Out (feat. Kieran Goss & Annie Kinsella)
7. Whatcha Gonna Do Now #2 (feat. Lyle Lovett & Chely Wright)
8. The Has-Been Vents His Spleen
9. 40 Winters
10. Go Light a Candle (feat. Emmylou Harris & Lera Lynn)

Rodney Crowell On Tour:
6/26 Nashville, TN – 3rd and Lindsley
6/27 Jonesborough, TN – Jackson Theatre
7/4 Austin, TX – Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic
7/14-15 Tomball, TX – Main Street Crossing
7/17 Stephenville, TX – Birdsong Amphitheater
7/18 Fredericksburg, TX – Rockbox Theater
8/15 Columbus, OH – Natalie’s Grandview
8/22 Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
8/27 Shirley, MA – Bull Run Restaurant
8/28 Rockport, MA – Shalin Liu Performance Center
8/29 Fall River, MA – Narrows Center For The Arts