Cass County

by Don Henley

Overview

Don Henley doesn't move fast because he can afford not to hurry. He can spend the better part of a decade waiting out a record contract, labor on a 90-minute Eagles reunion for maybe half a decade, then take another eight years before returning with Cass County, his first solo album in 15 years and only fifth overall. That's the mark of a man who takes his time, but all that chronology pales compared to the true journey Cass County represents: a return to Henley's country roots, whether they lie in the blissed-out, mellow sunshine of Southern California or the Texas home that provides this record with its name. According to prerelease scuttlebutt, the album began as a covers project -- on the deluxe edition, there are remnants of this record, including a poignant "She Sang Hymns Out of Tune" and a duet with Dolly Parton on the Louvin Brothers' "When I Stop Dreaming" -- and the album does begin with a version of Tift Merritt's "Bramble Rose" that finds space for both Mick Jagger and Miranda Lambert, a sign of the star firepower on Cass County. Plenty of other guests pop up here, including Merle Haggard and Martina McBride, although there's no doubting Henley is the center of Cass County, but the nice thing about the record is that he's not calling attention to himself, not in the way he did when he loaded up albums with somber six-minute anthems. For the first time in decades -- four, to be precise; One of These Nights was the last time he explicitly dabbled in country-rock -- Henley prefers to paint on a small canvas, abandoning sociological epics for tales of longing and heartbreak. He'll still adopt a cynical sneer -- "No, Thank You" is quintessential spiteful contrarianism, salvaged by a boogie borrowed from "Achy Breaky Heart" -- and the elegiac "Praying for Rain" disguises its environmental activist heart in the form of sun-bleached hippie country, but the shift to expertly constructed miniatures benefits Henley considerably, pushing the focus onto his skill as a craftsman while also suggesting how, in the age of bro-country, this kind of cosmic American music functions as a traditional throwback. This is also where Henley's stubbornness winds up as an asset: he doesn't feel like he's succumbing to either nostalgia or the present; he stoically carries on according to the way things ought to be, and, against all odds, he winds up with a record that's not only easier to enjoy than most of his solo records, but also stronger song for song than many of the early Eagles albums. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/22/2024
Label:	Rhino
UPC:	0603497826742

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Don Henley   Primary Artist,Vocals
Merle Haggard   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Miranda Lambert   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Mick Jagger   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Featured Artist
Dolly Parton   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Martina McBride   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
David Piltch   Bass
Milo Deering   Fiddle,Pedal Steel
Russ Pahl   Pedal Steel
Pat Buchanan   Harmonica,Guitar (Electric)
Rob Ickes   Dobro
Sally Dworsky   Vocal Harmony
Jerry Douglas   Lap Steel Guitar
Shannon Forrest   Drums,Percussion
Jim Hoke   Mandolin,Pedal Steel
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Molly Felder   Vocal Harmony
Mike Rojas   Organ,Piano
Ashley Monroe   Vocal Harmony
Matt Allen   Percussion
Glenn Worf   Bass
Gordon Kennedy   Guitar (Electric)
Jamey Johnson   Vocal Harmony
Dan Dugmore   Pedal Steel
Tony Harrell   Organ,Piano
Alison Krauss   Vocal Harmony
Steuart Smith   Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Stan Lynch   Percussion,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Vince Gill   Vocal Harmony,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Richard Bowden   Guitar (Electric)
Richard Davis   Cello,Organ,Keyboards
Alex Hahn   Drums
Michelle Branch   Vocal Harmony
Trisha Yearwood   Vocal Harmony
Angela Primm   Vocal Harmony
Chris Holt   Guitar
John Deaderick   Keyboards
Gregg Bissonette   Drums
Jeff Babko   Pump Organ
Lucinda Williams   Vocal Harmony
Jerry McPherson   Guitar (Electric)
Bryan Sutton   Mandolin,Guitar (Acoustic)
Aaron Kelley   Mandolin,Guitar (Electric)
Billy Chapin   Percussion
Jimmy Johnson   Bass
Mike Rhodes   Bass
David Moran   Hammer Dulcimer
Glen Worff   Bass
Gale Mayes   Vocal Harmony
Greg Worf   Bass
Will Henley   Drums
Greg Morrow   Drums,Percussion
Lee Ann Womack   Vocal Harmony
J.T. Corenflos   Guitar (Electric)
Marco Giovino   Percussion

Technical Credits

Don Henley   Composer,Producer
Jeff Balding   Engineer,Recording,Mixing
Jesse Winchester   Composer
Danny Clinch   Photography
Adam Taylor   Assistant Engineer
Matt Coles   Assistant Engineer
Hank Linderman   Engineer,Recording
Timothy B. Schmit   Composer
Steuart Smith   Composer
Stan Lynch   Composer,Producer
Stanley Lynch   Composer
Bob Ludwig   Mastering
Billy Sherrill   Composer
Ira Louvin   Composer
Richard Davis   Engineer,Engineer
Tim Kimsey   Engineer
Tift Merritt   Composer
Charlie Louvin   Composer
Seth Morton   Assistant Engineer
David Mikeal   Assistant Engineer
Bill Lanham   Technical Support
Gordon Hammond   Engineer,Recording
Billy Chapin   Engineer
Matthew Allen   Assistant Engineer
Jeri Heiden   Design,Art Direction
Scott Johnson   Production Assistant
Christopher Wilkinson   Assistant Engineer
Jesse Lee Kincaid   Composer
Chris Bell   Engineer,Recording
Nathan Yarborough   Assistant Engineer
Tom Freitag   Assistant Engineer
Nick Kallstrom   Assistant Engineer
Mike Stankiewicz   Assistant Engineer
Sean R. Badum   Assistant Engineer
Seth Myers   Assistant Engineer