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Sex and Gasoline | 
 enlarge | Artist: Rodney Crowell
Label: Yep Roc Records
Category: Music
List Price: $15.98
Buy New: $10.46
You Save: $5.52 (35%)
New (42) Used (9) from $8.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 1158
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 2187
UPC: 634457218727
EAN: 0634457218727
ASIN: B001AZFZL8
Release Date: September 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Tracks:
| • | Sex and Gasoline | | • | Moving Work of Art | | • | The Rise and Fall of Intelligent Design | | • | Truth Decay | | • | I Want You #35 | | • | I've Done Everything I Can | | • | Who Do You Trust | | • | The Night's Just Right | | • | Funky and the Farm-Boy | | • | Forty Winters | | • | Closer to Heaven |
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Product Description
Americana literati Rodney Crowell continues down the path blazed by his previous three records with ''Sex & Gasoline''. Crowell bounded onto the music landscape in 1988 with the Top 40 crossover album ''Diamonds and Dirt'', which produced an astonishing five number one singles and a Grammy Award for the single 'After All This Time.' As part of Emmylou Harris' original Hot Band, Crowell's musical pedigree is unquestionable, at one time even earning him the right to remake Johnny Cash's singular 'Ring of Fire' with Cash himself singing Rodney's reworked melody. With his new album ''Sex & Gasoline'', he continues to write about contemporary themes. ''Sex & Gasoline'' was produced by Joe Henry and contains what Crowell says are, ''some of the best performances I've given to date.'' For the new material Crowell and Henry brought in some of music's most skilled sidemen including Doyle Bramhall II (acoustic and electric guitar), Greg Leisz (acoustic and electric guitar, pedal and lap steel, mandolin, mandocello and dobro), Patrick Warren (piano, pump organ and Chamberlin), David Piltch (upright and electric bass) and Jay Bellerose (drums and percussion).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
Moving Work of Art November 13, 2008
Moving Work of Art is one of the songs on this CD and it is a reasonable title for this review. Fate's Right Hand may be Rodney's best album, but I think Sex and Gasoline will be getting more listens from me----it just goes down easier. Good production by Joe Henry with a host of outstanding musicians in the studio. I am happy with my purchase.
Rodney's search for the truth October 15, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have every album and CD that's ever been released by Rodney Crowell, and they're all great in their own way. There's no one else in Guitar Town who writes like him - no one. You have to give him credit - he's never satisfied with making the same album over and over again, like a lot of his other Nashville counterparts. But, I've noticed in his search for the truth in his last three CDs, although the writing is top notch as always, and deep and probing, I feel like he's kind of forgetting about a lot of the fans like me, who've been used to hearing sweet, and rocking melodies for most of his career. And now he's taking on a very Springsteenish role, as American Social Ills Observer. I love Bruce as well, but when a songwriting legend like Rodney is capable of writing so much lighter and brighter material, and gets down and depressed for three albums in a row, it's time for me to check out, and wait for him to fall in love again with somebody so he'll lighten up a bit. Even Bruce counters each serious project with a more rocking one the next time around. To be fair here, Rodney does attempt to rock out on this one, and his musicians are first rate here, but I'm afraid the arrangements and production from T-Bone Burnett kinda left me high and dry on this one. Not one song is memorable to me after two weeks of owning it. C'mon Rodney, let Bruce do the heavy work, and rock me like you used to on "Street Language"!
 an almost oh well October 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have to agree almost word for word with Mr. Cadagan. Having been a fan of R. C. for a long time and have always awaited his new efforts, some hit, some don't, like most artist, this doesn't quite get there. His song writing is thoughtful and close to being thought provoking but not as vibrant as the last several efforts. I will have to say I like his uptempo releases the best. This comes close to putting me to sleep. Maybe I can find the right mood for it and maybe after a couple more listens it will grow but I have my doubts.
Paying The High, Dark Price Of SEX & GASOLINE October 9, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Over the course of his last couple of releases, starting with 2003's FATE'S RIGHT HAND and continuing with 2005's THE OUTSIDER, Rodney Crowell has moved further and further away from the country stylings that made him one of the most acclaimed songwriters of the last 30 years. In it's place, he's increasingly embraced the darker, more probing aspects of the all-encompassing genre now known as Americana. Said switch peaks here with the brooding, beautiful SEX & GASOLINE. Things start on a strong note with the disc's excellent title track. Everything just comes together here, from Jay Bellrose's brilliant cymbal work and Patrick Warren's lovely piano fills to David Piltch's throbbing undercurrent of a bassline. Add a seductive lead vocal and biting lyrics ("You're over forty/That's it for you/I'm pretty sure there's nothing else that we can do/Perhaps the convent/Perhaps the knife/You woulda coulda shoulda been a rich man's wife") and you have a great album opener. "Moving Work Of Art" could prove to be Crowell's "You're So Vain".....is he talking about ex-wife Rosanne Cash here? True, Cash isn't "turning heads out there in Tinsel Town", but her career has sort of eclipsed Crowell's over the last few years, what with the critical one/two punch of 2003's RULES OF TRAVEL and 2006's stunning BLACK CADILLAC. Whatever the case, this cut is haunting in it's honesty and observational skills. There's a slow, sensual shuffle to "The Rise And Fall Of Intelligent Design" that's captivating. The percolating arrangement wraps itself around lyrics that are both thoughtful ("If I could have just one wish/Maybe for an hour/I'd want to be a woman/And feel that phantom power") and stinging ("It's no excuse to be brutal/It's no excuse to be vile/It's no excuse to die for religion/Or harm an innocent child"). One of S&G's best cuts! There's an atmospheric vibe to "Truth Decay" that gets under your skin and stays there. Anchored by some gorgeous finger picking, Crowell's lead vocal is assured, unadorned and real, just like the lyrics ("I can't love you with my hands tied/It's like walking barefoot down a landslide"). Another winner! "I Want You #35" is one of SEX & GASOLINE's two weakest tracks. The lyrics seem forced and calculated ~ a rarity for Crowell ~ while the lead vocal comes across as anemic and uninspired. The only thing that really saves the cut is the instrumentation, particularly Bellrose's whip-smart percussion (it's almost garage band-esque!) and Warren's full-bodied piano flourishes. All in all, though, a track that screams "filler." Far better is the haunting "I've Done Everything I Can." While I would have preferred a female duet partner in place of Joe Henry's raspy co-lead, there's no denying the heartache, urgency and frustration (not to mention love) that permeates this song. A parent wants to make it all alright....but that can only happen for so long. A wonderfully touching, nakedly raw composition. Then there's the swamp funk of "Who Do You Trust." There is SUCH an easy-going groove to this cut that it's utterly irresistable. The band is really just jammin', but they are so, so tight! And Crowell's lead vocal? Sexy, relaxed, smooth and loose. Yet another winner! (On a side note, I could SO see Bonnie Raitt covering this song!). From it's powerful opening lines ~ "I don't mind the thought of growing old/But I don't want to lose my sense of humor" ~ it's clear that "The Night's Just Right" is something special. This lovely acoustic ballad is blessed with a sparse (but mesmerizing) arrangement and delicate lead vocal, as well as lyrics that border on the poetic ("If somewhere down the line/The wheels come off/You may find me broke down by the highway/I'm alright/As long as I can walk"). One of S&G's top tracks! "Funky And The Farm Boy" is SEX & GASOLINE's other weak(er) track. Oh, sure, there are some fun moments in the song, but usually when you're TRYING to be funky.....you're not! Unlike the organic vibe of "Who Do You Trust", this cut comes across as forced, phony and a real throw away. Crowell is SO much better than this song. And then there's the flip side of the coin. Much like his ex-wife, Crowell can be counted on to write great songs 99% of the time, but every once in a while, much like Cash, he comes up with something that goes beyond that, that transcends into "gorgeous" and "classic." That's the case with "Forty Winters." Cushioned by some simple orchestration and stunning acoustic guitar, Crowell's hushed, emotional lead vocal wraps around vivid lyrics ("Orange blossoms, Sandalwood, Oak Moss and Musk/Fragrant the senses from daylight to dusk"), letting us know that true love really does endure. Things wrap up with the relaxed, optimistic "Closer To Heaven." A smooth, swaying arrangement is matched with a sincere lead vocal, as Crowell takes us thru a list of some of the things he likes ("I love my friends/I love my wife/Four little babies are the light of my life")....and some he doesn't ("Chirpy news anchors alter my mood/I'm offended by buzzwords like "awesome" and "dude"). Love it! So....where does SEX & GASOLINE fall in the Big Picture of Rodney Crowell's career? Right smack dab in the middle! Yes, it's a little bit deeper and darker, but all the heart, thoughtfulness and feeling that we've come to expect from Crowell is here. And nowadays, in these troubled times of rising fuel and trashy, gratuitous tabloids, as those positive traits rear their heads less and less, that is all we can really ask for. (As with all my reviews, I'm docking the disc half a star for not including the lyrics, something a WRITER of Crowell's stature and calibre should NEVER do!).
An Excellent Release from a Modern Day Songwriter October 1, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
As of this writing, there have only been two reviews of this CD. Does this mean that the CD is not selling well? Or does it mean that the buyers do not care to write a review?
I hope the latter. This is a great CD. A little more "acoustic" than his previous two releases, but still some great songwriting and musicianship. It doesn't get much better than Doyle Bramhall II playing lead guitar.
Rodney Crowell's music is neither country or rock, but is better than anything you will hear on either country or rock radio. I hope he continues to make music that appeals to himself rather than the commercial audience.
If you are a fan of Americana or just great songwriting and musicianship, pick this one up. You'll not be sorry.
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