Colvin & Earle

Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle both remember the night they met. It was nearly 30 years ago, and Colvin had been invited to open a solo acoustic performance by Earle at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. Though their interactions that night were limited to some cursory dressing room pleasantries, each left more of an impression on the other than they may have realized at the time. The duo's collaboration began two years ago with a phone call from Colvin, who had just wrapped up a joint tour with Mary Chapin Carpenter and found the experience offered a different set of artistic rewards from her typical solo touring. "I found I really enjoy sharing the stage with someone for the whole evening," says Colvin. "I love being a backup musician, I love singing harmony and being a rhythm guitar player and getting to be entertained by another artist I admire. Touring alone is something I do very well and it's the right thing for me, but it was a nice change to have this camaraderie and repartee with someone onstage, and when I thought about who else I'd like to share that with, I immediately thought of Steve." The first show began with little more than a sound check for preparation, but they discovered an immediate spark, building from initially trading songs and stories back-and-forth to slowly, organically contributing guitar and harmonies to each other's tunes throughout the night. The Albany Times Union hailed their show as "a near perfect pairing," while The Morning Call said they "spur each other to greater heights," and The Cleveland Plain Dealer called it "a joy to be able to witness two of the greatest at their craft." Earle, who's toured with his full band in recent years, discovered a special chemistry that was unlocked when his voice met Colvin's over acoustic guitars and mandolin every night on the road. He was particularly moved when she joined him on his song "Someday," a track Colvin had recorded for her 1994 GRAMMY-nominated 'Cover Girl' album. The shows were so special to Earle that he proposed they record an entire album together in the spirit of the tour, co-writing brand new material to sing in harmony alongside inspired covers like the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and Emmylou Harris’ "Raise The Dead." Arrangements were made to hole up in mutual friend Buddy Miller's Nashville home with an all-star band including guitarist Richard Bennett (who had played on Earle's seminal 'Guitar Town' album), drummer Fred Eltringham (Willie Nelson, Kacey Musgraves), and bassist Chris Wood (of Medeski Martin & Wood/The Wood Brothers). With Miller at the helm as producer and baritone guitarist (Earle calls him "the greatest country singer alive and a monster guitar player"), the band worked through fourteen songs in a week-and-a-half, capturing the spontaneity and magic of Colvin & Earle's live acoustic shows, while at the same time fleshing out the arrangements with alternating moments of subtle grace and raucous grit.