Crooked Line
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- Big Mo and Omega (Kensington, Maryland)
- Redwood Digital (Redwood City, California)
| Crooked Line | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1992 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 55:05 | |||
| Label | Rykodisc | |||
| Producer | Eric Ambel | |||
| Nils Lofgren chronology | ||||
| ||||
Crooked Line is an album by the American musician Nils Lofgren, released in 1992.[1][2] It was his second album for Rykodisc.[3] The cover art is by Ralph Steadman.[4]
For the most part recorded live in the studio, the album was produced by Eric Ambel.[5][6] Johnny "Bee" Badanjek played drums on Crooked Line.[7] Neil Young contributed to three of the tracks.[8] Jason & the Scorchers' Andy York played bass.[9] "Just a Little" is a cover of the Beau Brummels song, which Lofgren had performed as part of Ringo Starr's All-Starr tour; the song was the album's first single.[10][11][12] The lyrics to many songs engage with social issues.[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [14] |
| Boston Herald | B+[13] |
| Calgary Herald | C+[15] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [16] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [17] |
| The State | [18] |
| Toronto Sun | [19] |
The Boston Globe deemed the album "a touchingly personal, commerce-be-damned, low-key masterpiece," writing that "many songs also have a loose, easy feel."[11] The Calgary Herald labeled it "competent enough, if a tad predictable ... Lofgren's been the bridesmaid of rock since 1971, and that's not going to change."[15] Stereo Review determined that Crooked Line is "another album full of guitar doodling and good intentions [that] never quite hitting the mark with the sort of sharp, power-pop material Lofgren turned out with such accomplished ease way back when."[20]
The Austin American-Statesman noted that it boasted "some of his hardest rock and his best band to date."[21] The Kitchener-Waterloo Record opined that "most of this collection is solid rock hopefulness."[22] The Toronto Sun labeled "Drunken Driver" "as scary and disturbing a song as you're likely to hear all year."[19] The State concluded that "the real strengths lie in the meaty material and the bare-bones production and chunky rhythm guitar work of Eric Ambel."[18] The San Antonio Express-News listed the album as the 10th best of 1992.[23]