The thousand-yard stare Rodney Crowell’s wearing on the cover of Close Ties suggests battle weariness, and much of the material inside surveys the Nashville veteran’s past in uncompromising fashion. East Houston Blues addresses his dysfunctional boyhood, I Don’t Care Anymore is a driving blues casting a rueful eye on youthful excess, and Forgive Me Annabelle is an apology to an ex-lover (“We both know how far from grace I fell”). Still, Crowell wears his wounds lightly. It Ain’t Over Yet, featuring ex-wife Rosanna Cash, is defiantly upbeat, and I’m Tied To Ya a tender duet with Sheryl Crow. Delicately sung and immaculately played in semi-acoustic fashion, it’s a high point in an impressive career.
