Willie Nelson
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Information about the artist.
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Willie Nelson, Various Artists
The great Willie Nelson tends to either thrill or sorely disappoint, depending on the kinds of projects he takes on—and his decision to be either a musician or a celebrity. This live recording, culled from his 2003 USA Network concert event, unfortunately falls into the latter category, and Nelson sounds as if he arrived just before show time and plunged in without rehearsing. On the album’s opener, “I Didn’t Come Here (And I Ain’t Leavin’),” almost everything is wrong—the chorines, the overwhelming bigness of the production, and most troublesome, Nelson’s…
Willie Nelson, Ray Price
In September of 1961, Ray Price was a superstar and Willie Nelson was his bass player. As part of Price’s Cherokee Cowboys, Willie played on Price’s pioneering Bob Wills tribute LP San Antonio Rose. Twenty years later, after Willie had become superstar in his own right, the two re-teamed for a second San Antonio Rose, this one a set of honky-tonk and Western swing duets that yielded two Top 10 singles. Twenty-two years after that release, they’re back for yet another exquisite, relaxed romp through the same Texas-Southwestern axis. The tunes are…
Willie Nelson
Though Willie Nelson has previously demonstrated that he can sing just about anything with just about anyone, The Great Divide shows there are some bridges even he shouldn’t cross. An incongruous array of duet partners join Nelson on this attempt to attract a younger and wider demographic. The project follows the formula that paid such commercial dividends for Carlos Santana, down to the collaboration with matchbox twenty’s Rob Thomas on the opening “Maria.” Nelson proceeds to engage Kid Rock in a transgenerational gunslingers’ duel on “Last Stand in Open…
Willie Nelson
This charming, super-casual collection began as a children’s record and later became a “family” record—a designation that reflects the contributions of Nelson’s daughter Amy as well as the inclusion of more “adult” material. It’s difficult to think of another artist who’d pull together such a unique selection of songs. Nelson tackles odd kid-friendly little ditties from country’s past such as “I’m My Own Grandpa” (a 1948 hit for Lonzo & Oscar), the Western swing favorite “Won’t You Ride in My Little Red Wagon,” and Jimmie Dolan’s boogie “Playin’ Dominoes and…
