CD REVIEW: DON HENLEY – Cass County

Shane | 19 November 2015 | 1 Reply

CD REVIEW: DON HENLEY – Cass County
Capitol/EMI
October 2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 ½ /10

It’s hardly a surprise that Don Henley’s latest album – his first in fifteen years – ploughs many of the same furrows as his band The Eagles did as kings of the country-tinged easy listening set, though it is a surprise that he’s produced an album that is so countrified, rather than the pop rock of his earlier solo hits Boys Of Summer or The End Of The Innocence.

To further his quest Henley has drafted in some heavy hitters. Mick Jagger and Miranda Lambert drawl their way through the country-Stonesey Bramble Rose, while Merle Haggard lends an authentically world-weary edge to The Cost Of Living.

First single Take A Picture Of This is a great tune that reminisces for long lost youth and innocence, an underlying theme of the album, which Henley named after the East Texas plains where he grew up.

Waiting Tables latches onto the blue collar vibe that Bruce Springsteen does so effortlessly, as Milo Deering’s pedal steel plays a sad but hopeful lament. It’s another highlight, as is the more upbeat, simple country honk of No, Thank You, featuring Vince Gill and Pat Buchanan’s playful guitar work.

That Old Flame features Martina McBride, musing on the dangers of a long-ago lover getting in contact again, and Dolly Parton practically invented the brassy style she showcases on When I Stop Dreaming.

Cass County isn’t always about looking backwards in time. A Younger Man sees Henley coming to grips with getting older, telling a potential amour that ‘you’re looking for a younger man, not me,’ and Where I Am Now is a resolution of the past with the present, and an acceptance that he ‘feels at home in my own skin.’ That’s a nice place for any of us to be.