Don Henley on New Country Album: ‘It’s Who I Am’
Don Henley has been quietly coming to Nashville for the last five years, slipping in and out of recording studios. Now he’s ready for everyone to know that Cass County, his first solo album in 15 years, is ready for release.
In a candid, comical exchange with Nashville journalist Beverly Keel at an intimate gathering a few miles from the swelling crowds of CMA Music Festival, Henley previewed the project, which will be released on Capitol Records. (An official release date has not yet been set.)
Wrapping up the half-hour exchange, Henley was asked what he’d like people to know about the album. After a beat, he deadpanned, “That it’s for sale.”
The moment of levity was a surprise to those who think of Henley with only a sour disposition. There was still a little bit of grumbling — he groaned into the microphone when asked about the long gap between albums — but for the most part, the Eagles icon appeared to be in good spirits.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what happens with this record. I have no idea what’s going to happen because the musical landscape now is so different,” he observed. “You know, the bar is pretty low.”
After some uncomfortable laughter from the industry crowd, Henley dryly quipped, “There, I said it.” And then the room burst into applause.
“The great majority [of recording] was done right here in Nashville and I can truthfully say that I enjoyed making this record more than any record I’ve made in my career. And a lot of the reason is because of the people who participated,” he told the audience. “There’s some amazing musicians here and the best thing about it is, most of them are funny. So it was a real pleasure.”
Henley previewed eight tracks from Cass County, and in that abbreviated list, the all-star guests included Merle Haggard, Mick Jagger, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Ashley Monroe, Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams and Trisha Yearwood.
“I woke up the other day and I said, ‘Oh my God. I really screwed up because when I play live, these people aren’t going to show up,'” Henley said with a laugh. “I chose people that I respect musically. People whose work I respect, whose voices I like, who are all great, authentic singers who can really sing when called upon to sing. Some of them are friends of mine and some of them I had never met before. I was flattered and flabbergasted when all of them said, ‘Yeah.'”
Henley wrote a bulk of the new material with longtime collaborator Stan Lynch, the original drummer behind Tom Petty in the Heartbreakers. Lynch was also in attendance.
“He and I both have an abiding appreciation for rock & roll and country music, and the history of it. I think that’s what’s missing from a lot of records today,” Henley stated. “They haven’t gone to school on the older stuff, and gone back to the early days of the genre. So we do that — we talk about records and production and players. You’ve got to live and breathe this stuff. It’s not a hobby. It’s a calling. It’s something that we love doing.”
Don Henley on New Country Album: ‘It’s Who I Am’, Page 1 of 2