Keys to the Highway is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Rodney Crowell, released in 1989 by Columbia Records (see 1989 in country music). It peaked at number 15 on the Top Country Albums chart. The songs, "Many a Long & Lonesome Highway", "If Looks Could Kill", "My Past Is Present", "Now That We're Alone" and "Things I Wish I'd Said" were released as singles. The last single failed to reach the top 40.
| Keys to the Highway | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 10, 1989[1] | |||
| Studio | Emerald Sound Studios, Sound Stage Studios, Nashville, TN | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 43:12 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| Rodney Crowell chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Keys to the Highway | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Chicago Tribune | [3] |
| Los Angeles Times | [4] |
Track listing
editAll songs written by Rodney Crowell except when noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Past Is Present" | Crowell, Steuart Smith | 2:49 |
| 2. | "If Looks Could Kill" | 3:25 | |
| 3. | "Soul Searchin'" | 3:57 | |
| 4. | "Many a Long & Lonesome Highway" | Crowell, Will Jennings | 4:16 |
| 5. | "We Gotta Go on Meeting Like This" | Crowell, Larry Willoughby | 2:54 |
| 6. | "The Faith Is Mine" | 4:29 | |
| 7. | "Tell Me the Truth" | Crowell, Jim Hanson, Vince Santoro, Smith | 3:35 |
| 8. | "Don't Let Your Feet Slow You Down" | 3:18 | |
| 9. | "Now That We're Alone" | 4:14 | |
| 10. | "Things I Wish I'd Said" | 4:08 | |
| 11. | "I Guess We've Been Together for Too Long" | Guy Clark, Crowell | 2:46 |
| 12. | "You Been on My Mind" | 3:28 |
Personnel
editMusicians
edit- The Dixie Pearls
- Eddie Bayers – drums
- Barry Beckett – piano, organ
- Rodney Crowell – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Hank DeVito – steel guitar, acoustic guitar
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Jim Hanson – bass guitar, background vocals
- Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
- Vince Santoro – drums, background vocals
- Steuart Smith – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Guest musicians
- Rosanne Cash – background vocals
- Ashley Cleveland – background vocals
- Vince Gill – background vocals
- Mark O'Connor – fiddle, mandolin
- Harry Stinson – background vocals
Technical
edit- Tony Brown – production
- Donivan Coward – overdubbing
- Rodney Crowell – production, arrangement
- The Dixie Pearls – arrangement
- John Guess – mixing
- Glen Hardin – orchestra arrangement, conduction
- Steve Marcantonio – engineering, mixing
- Glenn Meadows – mastering
- Steuart Smith – arrangement
Chart performance
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
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Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | ||
| 1989 | "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" | 3 | 1 |
| 1990 | "If Looks Could Kill" | 6 | 4 |
| "My Past Is Present" | 22 | 12 | |
| "'Now That We're Alone" | 17 | 13 | |
| 1991 | "Things I Wish I'd Said" | 72 | — |
Sources
edit- ^ AOL Music Profile for "Keys to the Highway"
- ^ Keys to the Highway at AllMusic. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ "Rodney Crowell Keys to the Highway (Columbia... - Chicago Tribune". Articles.chicagotribune.com. November 16, 1989. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ "***: Rodney Crowell: "Keys To The Highway" Colunbia - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. January 7, 1990. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
- ^ "Rodney Crowell Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Rodney Crowell Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2020.