Dave Sholin keeps his cool, even when he’s hanging with the stars, but here he’s not holding back: “Boomers rejoice! Don Henley’s new album is brilliant from the first song to the last!”
This week, at age 68, Henley scores his very first number one album as a solo artist with the release of “Cass County” — named after the area in Texas where he grew up, and it’s a Country music record (despite one track with Mick Jagger, who loves country music as much as the next super star). There are duets with Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert,, Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill and more, most with that “classic country sound” –the kind you hear advertised at 2:00 in the morning on cable.
Where can you hear these wondrous new songs? Haha, Dave said the tracks are “too Country for Country,” which means you won’t hear them on your local Country radio station. Maybe on Adult Contemporary or a college station, like KCRW.
All the media buzz has been like this, that Henley has delivered something special. I’ve seen the trailer (link below) and heard a few tracks, and I’m convinced. Sorry to sound so 70s but the lyrics are “deep.” Like poetry. Mature. Meant for an audience that’s been around the block. Boomers. Us.
In his recent interview with Rolling Stone, Henley stated flatly that “there is a lot of bad songwriting going on, really sloppy stuff.” Maybe so, but certainly not on “Cass County”.
Here’s the trailer: https://youtu.be/bB9xQlq4msI?list=PLl-0U0uuf1Z6Mwm6isDdncF7IuAcpj1xv