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Record Review: Cass County by Don Henley

The release of new material by Don Henley is an all-too-rare occurrence so September 25 2015 was a momentous day for fans as his much-anticipated fifth solo album Cass County finally went on sale. Henley fans have been waiting a very long time for this as it has been fifteen years since his last solo release Inside Job and eight years since the Eagles' Long Road Out Of Eden, and in those eight years all three of Henley's bandmates have released new albums: Timothy B. Schmit's Expando, Glenn Frey's After Hours and Joe Walsh's Analog Man, leaving Henley as the last Eagle to commit to a new release. So what is this long-awaited album like and does it live up to the weight of expectation? Read on to find out what I think...


Rumours of a new album had been circulating for a long time but details remained very sketchy and Henley was busy with the Eagles. Cass County has reportedly been in development for five years and an anticipated release date of May 2013 came and went with little apparent progress, but like a fine wine the making of a Don Henley album is a process that cannot be rushed. In his interview with Steve Wright on Radio 2, Henley stated that the album was actually completed two years ago but couldn't be released until now as his commitments to the Eagles' tour schedule left him with no time to promote it. After so many years, it is great to hear that fantastic and unmistakable voice singing some new material, and vocally Henley is still on top form.   

Recorded mainly in Nashville and named for the area of Texas in which he was born and raised, Cass County marks a return to his roots for Henley, with more of a country feel than some of his rock and pop-flavoured earlier work, although he is at pains to point out that he doesn't consider this to be his "country album". He has called in a number of friends to collaborate on the album, some well known here in the UK such as Dolly Parton and Mick Jagger, while others are big names on the US country scene but less widely known here. The involvement of Parton is particularly interesting from a British perspective as when this came about there could have been no way of knowing that, by the time of the album's release, she would be enjoying a renaissance thanks to her seminal 2014 performance at Glastonbury. With this in mind, if this song is released as a single, it may sell surprisingly well in the UK more on the strength of Parton than Henley.

The album is available in two forms, the standard issue with 12 tracks and a deluxe version featuring four additional tracks and a revised running order, and it is the latter that I purchased. The majority of songs were co-written by Henley and his long-time friend and collaborator Stan Lynch, although there are a handful of covers of older material from other writers and singers. Steuart Smith, the veteran guitarist of the Eagles' live shows and effectively the unofficial fifth Eagle, is also involved, but the rest of the musicians are not names I had heard before and don't appear to have featured on any of Henley's previous albums, giving this one a different feel from its predecessors.

Ken Bruce (who makes no secret of his liking for Henley and the Eagles) made Cass County his 'Album of the Week' in the week leading up to its release, and the first single, 'Take A Picture Of This', has already received considerable airplay. What Henley calls his "empty-nesters song", this is probably my favourite track and is classic Henley through and through: a cleverly-written piece of social commentary on the dangers of living in the past and not embracing the way things are now, with strong vocals and a message to be heeded. The best description I have seen of Henley's voice is being like a good whisky: smooth, refined and leaves you wanting more. I agree entirely, and after fifteen years of waiting we've finally got more and it doesn't disappoint

The country feel of this album is apparent in the much greater use of traditional country instruments such as the harmonica, banjo, fiddle and pedal steel than in Henley's past work, and certain tracks are reminiscent of the Eagles' very earliest work like 'Take It Easy' and 'Midnight Flyer' (although Henley didn't sing lead vocals on these), before their music developed in a rockier direction. I am not generally a fan of country music and a few tracks are a bit too country for my liking, but I like the majority of this album and in the main would describe it as more country-rock than pure country and western.  

The Parton duet, a cover of the Louvin Brothers' 'When I Stop Dreaming', struck an immediate chord with me the very first time I heard it. This was released as a YouTube preview in the week I encountered a great deal of turmoil in my own love life and its hook line of "when I stop dreaming, that's when I'll stop loving you" so perfectly sums up my own heartbreak of being madly in love with a girl who doesn't feel the same way, so this track will always be very special to me personally. 'Waiting Tables' is also a favourite, a classic 'Henley heartbreaker' that will bring tears to your eyes with its sad tale of a young woman who has fallen on hard times.

Another very strong track is 'That Old Flame', a duet with country singer Martina McBride warning against trying to revive an old relationship; "you have only yourself to blame if you get burnt when you try to rekindle that old flame" is a classic Henley hook line. Featuring country legend Merle Haggard, 'The Cost Of Living' is also a highlight and seems to reflect Henley's own new-found mature attitude of making the best of whatever life throws at him without complaint. Then there is 'Bramble Rose' with the rather incongruous sound of Mick Jagger singing a country song and playing the harmonica, and 'Praying For Rain', a very topical and poignant piece considering the severe droughts in the western US at present; the latter seems to link neatly to 'A Month Of Sundays' from 1984's Building The Perfect Beast album as, like that song, it sees economic problems from the humble farmer's point of view.

Overall, I like this album despite it being a little more country-flavoured than Henley's previous work and the music I usually favour. He has not lost his touch as a fine songwriter and Cass County features that classic mix of cynicism and nostalgia that characterises Henley as a man, and his smooth voice is still every bit as good as it ever was. New material from Don Henley doesn't come along very often so this album should be savoured. Although I would be delighted to be proved wrong, I suspect this may be his last solo album as he is now 68 and still very busy both as a solo artist and with the Eagles - if it takes another fifteen years he will be in his eighties by the time the next new album is released!

Track listing

Standard album:

1. Bramble Rose (featuring Mick Jagger and Miranda Lambert)
2. The Cost Of Living (featuring Merle Haggard)
3. Take A Picture Of This
4. Waiting Tables
5. No, Thank You
6. Praying For Rain
7. Words Can Break Your Heart
8. That Old Flame (featuring Martina McBride)
9. When I Stop Dreaming (featuring Dolly Parton)
10. A Younger Man
11. Train In The Distance
12. Where I Am Now

Deluxe album:

1. Bramble Rose (featuring Mick Jagger and Miranda Lambert)
2. The Cost Of Living (featuring Merle Haggard)
3. No, Thank You
4. Waiting Tables
5. Take A Picture Of This
6. Too Far Gone
7. That Old Flame (featuring Martina McBride)
8. The Brand New Tennessee Waltz
9. Words Can Break Your Heart
10. When I Stop Dreaming (featuring Dolly Parton)
11. Praying For Rain
12. Too Much Pride 
13. She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune
14. Train In The Distance
15. A Younger Man
16. Where I Am Now

“Bramble Rose” (featuring Mick Jagger & Miranda Lambert)
“The Cost of Living” (featuring Merle Haggard)
“Take a Picture of This”
“Waiting Tables”
“No, Thank You”
“Praying for Rain”
“Words Can Break Your Heart”
“That Old Flame” (featuring Martina McBride)
“When I Stop Dreaming” (featuring Dolly Parton)
“A Younger Man”
“Train in the Distance”
“Where I Am Now”

Read More: Hear Two New Don Henley Songs From 'Cass County' Album | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/don-henley-cass-county-songs/?trackback=tsmclip

“Bramble Rose” (featuring Mick Jagger & Miranda Lambert)
“The Cost of Living” (featuring Merle Haggard)
“Take a Picture of This”
“Waiting Tables”
“No, Thank You”
“Praying for Rain”
“Words Can Break Your Heart”
“That Old Flame” (featuring Martina McBride)
“When I Stop Dreaming” (featuring Dolly Parton)
“A Younger Man”
“Train in the Distance”
“Where I Am Now”

Read More: Hear Two New Don Henley Songs From 'Cass County' Album | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/don-henley-cass-county-songs/?trackback=tsmclip

"When I stop dreaming, that's when I'll stop loving you" - dedicated to Jodie, the unrequited love of my life