An underground favourite goes big without compromise

Rodney Crowell had been a well-known country songwriter since the '70s, but tracks like the husband-and-wife duet "It's Such a Small World" suggest that he had been saving his best tunes for this solo breakthrough. Though the song, about an old pair rekindling their connection, only lasts a few minutes, Crowell is able to craft characters that feel full and complex. The deep cuts are just as sweet: "I Know You’re Married" is joyful bubblegum and "Above and Beyond" brings Buck Owens into the late '80s.