Willie Nelson Albums (90)
What The Critics Say
When Willie Nelson took the unexpected step of releasing Stardust in 1978, many predicted that the album of popular standards would severely derail the outlaw country singer's career. Confounding the critics, the disc became Nelson's best-selling effort, and spawned a whole subgenre of modern singers covering the classics. Nelson revisited the format with 1994's orchestral Healing Hands of Time and to varying degrees on several other records, but it wasn't until 2009's American Classic that the red-headed stranger delivered an album billed as the true follow-up to Stardust. Released on the venerable Blue Note label, the disc features guest appearances by superstar jazz singers Norah Jones and Diana Krall, but the focus is always placed squarely on Nelson's famously idiosyncratic vocals. American Classic does not feature Nelson's veteran band, but rather a core group of first-call studio jazz cats including Christian McBride on bass, Joe Sample on piano, and Lewis Nash on drums. The resultant sound is smooth, classy, and subtle -- a sonic horse of a different color from the exquisitely ramshackle earthiness that made Stardust so appealing and unusual. On tunes such as the jaunty, gently swinging "On the Street Where You Live" and "Since I Fell for You," which features longtime Nelson cohort Mickey Raphael on bluesy harmonica, Nelson sounds comfortable and in command, gliding effortlessly and soulfully over a great set of tunes played by top-notch pros. ~ Pemberton Roach, All Music Guide
'Moment of Forever'
Release Date 1/29/2008
Tracks 13
Label Lost Highway
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What The Critics Say
There's an old axiom that Martin Scorsese often recites when explaining his career choices, citing that you first make a movie for the studio, then you make one for yourself. Willie Nelson has almost been following that creed while toiling away on Lost Highway in the 2000s, alternating between old-fashioned country records for his old fans, then star-studded collaborations aimed at a newer audiences. As Nelson is a musical omnivore, such stylistic hopscotch didn't feel forced, even when Willie ventured into such ill-advised experiments as the 2005 reggae excursion The Countryman, yet it nevertheless felt that he'd sing anything that came his way. Moment of Forever, the 2008 album produced by modern-day superstar Kenny Chesney and his longtime comrade Buddy Cannon, doesn't erase that impression, as it's wildly inconsistent in mood and material, finding room for sensitive songs from Kris Kristofferson and boorish tunes from Big Kenny, half of Nashville titans Big & Rich. Big Kenny's lazy, slobbering "The Bob Song" is everything that could go wrong with Willie singing a contemporary country record, suggesting that the very idea behind Moment of Forever -- to give Nelson his first full-fledged modern country album in eons -- is misconceived, but the album actually is far slyer than this misstep would suggest. Yes, this attempt at the Muzk Mafia's gonzo humor doesn't work, nor is it the only awkward moment here; it's paired with a moribund reading of Dave Matthews' "Gravedigger," where Willie valiantly attempts to navigate Matthews' twisting prose but to no avail. Both "The Bob Song" and "Gravedigger" are signs that Chesney and Cannon are in tune with modern markets that would be open to embracing Willie, so they work in conception if not execution. Fortunately, they're also in tune with much of the best of Nelson's music, giving him room to sing such finely modulated originals as "Over You Again" and "Always Now" (the latter balancing Chesney's slightly treacly "I'm Alive") and a lovely reading of Paul Craft's "Keep Me Blowing Away," but also letting Willie tell jokes, whether if it's in the guise of a loose, funny duet with Kenny on Guy Clark's "Worry B Gone" or "You Don't Think I'm Funny Anymore." These are the moments that give Moment of Forever heart, the moments that last once the overinflated R&B grooves of "Takin' on Water" and monochromatic jam on Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody" pass, as they're the moments that flow easily and freely, and there are just enough of them to make Moment of Forever another solid Willie Nelson album, and perhaps one of the better contemporary-oriented ones of the past few years. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Two Men with the Blues'
Release Date 1/1/2008
Tracks 10
Label Blue Note
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What The Critics Say
History has proven that Willie Nelson will duet with pretty much anybody who comes along, and while this open-hearted open mind sometimes backfires, more often than not it results in some of his most sublime recordings. Two Men with the Blues, his album with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis recorded over a two-night stand at Jazz at Lincoln Center on January 12 and 13, 2007, belongs in the latter category, standing as truly one of the most special records in either Nelson's or Marsalis' catalog. If the pair initially seem like an odd match, it's only because Wynton long carried the reputation of a purist, somebody who was adamant against expanding the definition of jazz, which cast him as the opposite of Willie, who never found a border he couldn't blur. Marsalis mellowed over the years, but it's also true that he and Nelson share a common background in jazz and the Great American Songbook, so this pairing plays naturally, providing equal measures of comfort and surprise. The engine for this music is Marsalis' band -- pianist Dan Nimmer, drummer Ali Jackson, bassist Carlos Henríquez, and saxophonist Walter Blanding -- with Nelson bringing his harmonica player Mickey Raphael along, which is enough to give this a flavor that's quite distinct from a typical Marsalis session without being foreign. Similarly, this isn't quite alien territory for Nelson either, as the repertoire relies heavily on blues standards, including a pair of tunes he cut on his jazzy breakthrough, Stardust (the title track and "Georgia on My Mind"), plus he's always veered close to jazz in his vocal and guitar phrasings. All this means that Two Men with the Blues has the warm comfort of a reunion and the freshness of a new collaboration, feelings that are palpable as soon as the album kicks off with a loose yet nimble reading of Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City." It's a subtle arrangement that doesn't draw attention to its unique touches, something that's also true of the flashier take on Hank Williams' "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It," which lurches and careens like a New Orleans marching band, coming to a highlight when Marsalis throws in a few lines from "Keep on Knockin'" for good measure. These sly spins on standards, along with a jump blues reworking of Merle Travis' "That's All" (first heard on a Willie Nelson record back in 1969), are balanced by numbers that are perhaps a bit more expected but are no less delightful, as "Night Life" is turned into a showcase for Wynton and the bandmembers sound as good skipping through "Caldonia" as they do laying back on "Basin Street Blues." It's music that flows so easily it's perhaps easy to take for granted, but Two Men with the Blues is truly something special, as it captures two masters enjoying their common ground while spurring each other to hear old sounds in new ways. It's a flat-out joy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Last of the Breed'
Release Date 3/20/2007
Tracks 22
Label Lost Highway
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What The Critics Say
The title Last of the Breed speaks with a defiance that, for the most part, the music on this album does not, and that's just as it should be -- while Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and Ray Price are indeed among the last functioning practitioners of pure, unadulterated Western swing, honky tonk, or countrypolitan blues in the classic manner, on this album they seem less concerned with fighting the changing face of country music than with playing this music with the easy confidence and quiet conviction that's been the hallmark of their respective careers. For the most part, Last of the Breed finds these three friends and occasional collaborators working through a set of old-school country classics (Haggard is the only member of the trio to bring any original material to the sessions, and delivers one of the album's best performances on his new song "If I Ever Get Lucky"), and they treat chestnuts like "Heartaches by the Number," "I Love You Because," "That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine," and "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" with both strength and familiarity -- these guys could probably sing these numbers in their sleep after all these years, but they also approach them like pros, realizing these old standards gained their status as classics because they endure and people love them, and they give them the respect and care that they deserve. Haggard is in fine voice on this set, and Nelson sounds good though his phrasing occasionally lags behind the melodies a shade more than is comfortable. As for Price, time has added a slight wobble to his instrument, once one of the most impressive in country music, but he still projects a dignity and commendable emotional warmth, and when he joins voices with his pals Willie and Merle, it's a stirring reminder of just how much these artists still have to offer. Legendary producer Fred Foster supervised these sessions, with a band of seasoned Nashville veterans backing the singers (and the Jordanaires adding harmonies on several numbers), and at its best Last of the Breed really sounds the way these things did in the old days, and Nelson, Haggard, and Price achieve something more than nostalgia -- they offer a stirring reminder of the strength of this music when country music spoke to something deeper than just a marketing demographic. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
'Live from the Last of the Breed Tour'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 16
Label Image
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What The Critics Say
The pairing of Ryan Adams and his band the Cardinals with Willie Nelson may seem a tad odd, but Nelson has always had a penchant for the unusual and extraordinary; from Plácido Domingo to Leon Russell, Nelson enjoys working with others in collaboration. That said, Songbird is a collaboration of a different sort, and it most resembles -- in feel, not sound -- the work Nelson did with Daniel Lanois on Teatro: loose, relaxed, adventuresome. In essence, Nelson allowed Adams to produce him using the Cardinals, and a couple of Nelson's sidemen, harmonica player Mickey Raphael and Glenn Patscha on Hammond B-3. This is Nelson singing electric rock and blues. While that may read like it would be a travesty, it actually accounts for Nelson's best record since Teatro. His easy delivery, contrasted with Adams wiry production, creates an emotionally honest, deeply moving recording with the best traits of both men shining forth. Nelson wrote four tracks on this set, Adams wrote two, and the selection of covers -- "Songbird" by Christine McVie, Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter's "Stella Blue," Gram Parsons' "$1,000 Wedding," and Harlan Howard's "Yours, Love" -- is stellar. Opening with Nelson's "Rainy Day Blues," featuring Raphael and Adams in deep blues counterpoint, Willie seems to take energy from the ban; finding a slippery sense of time in the verses, he walks between the instrumentalists. It's an unlikely opener but a fine one. Christine McVie's classic title track, originally appearing on Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, has been utterly reinvented here. The band, in full jangle mood, Nelson sounding decades younger than his 73 years, make this a hungry song, one that pledges to the beloved in absentia, writing a letter and pouring out his heart to the woman he desires. The guitars sting and slither in the breaks. Adams' "Blue Hotel" follows and is the mirror image of the title cut. This is the road-weary, lonesome protagonist strolling aimlessly and forlornly; he's raw and confused and the song is the only outlet for expressing his desolation. A chorus of backing vocalists enters the tune on the final refrains and takes it over the top. It's devastatingly beautiful. Turning Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," into a country waltz is no mean feat, but Nelson and Adams strip away all the overblown intensity the song has been imbued with in the past by others and states it matter of factly. There are some wonderfully understated sound effects and again a choir picking up the refrains and a pedal steel guitar leading the changes as the band helps the singer through the tune. Adams and band had to adjust to Nelson's rollicking style of performance-oriented songwriting on his "We Don't Run," that spits and struts and glides by like a tour bus on the highway in the night. The haunting reading of "Amazing Grace" that closes the set is almost an Adams' nod to Lanois' liberal interpretations of traditional songs. The band all centers around the B-3, and Nelson sings in counterpoint, reinventing the melody. His protagonist is standing on the verge of the abyss between life and death and has the sobering enlightenment that grace comes only when it is granted unexpectedly. Ultimately, Nelson is at a peak here; he's had many and hopefully there will be many more -- God knows we need him -- and Adams' understated, true-to-the-song production leads us to hope for more of this from him. Songbird is a late-year surprise, and a stunner from top to bottom. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker'
Release Date 3/14/2006
Tracks 13
Label Lost Highway
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What The Critics Say
You Don't Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker finds Willie Nelson in comfortably familiar territory, which may come as a bit of a relief for those who found his 2005 reggae album Countryman an unwelcome detour. Indeed, with the possible exception of 2004's It Always Will Be, You Don't Know Me is Willie's purest country album in many a moon, and it's designed that way: it's a tribute to a songwriter who was one of the leading lights in Western swing at its peak. Cindy Walker's name may not be known to anybody outside of aficionados, but many of her songs became standards, including "Bubbles in My Beer," "Take Me in Your Arms," "You Don't Know Me," "Sugar Moon," "Cherokee Maiden," "Miss Molly," and "It's All Your Fault." Many of these tunes were popularized by Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing, whose influence on Nelson was profound -- indeed, he's covered Wills before, including "Bubbles in My Beer," which appeared on Shotgun Willie, and is revived here, along with all the previously mentioned tunes. Willie doesn't fix what wasn't broken -- although some of the slower songs do recall his quieter outlaw ballads, this is an exceptionally faithful record, especially on the up-tempo cuts. Nelson and his band know this material inside out, and it shows in the easy-rolling, relaxed, jazzy playing. It's hardly surprising, but that's what's good about it: after so many half-baked experiments and bad ideas, it's a joy to hear Nelson playing to his strengths. Nevertheless, this is a shade slight. As nice as it is that Willie is shining a spotlight on the underappreciated Cindy Walker, the very casualness of the performances, combined with Nelson's increasingly thin but still strong voice, makes this a little bit less than a major record, but that's fine: it's one that's easy to enjoy, and one of his few records of the 2000s that's worth returning to on occasion. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Songs for Tsunami Relief: Austin to South Asia'
Release Date 4/12/2005
Tracks 18
Label Lost Highway
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What The Critics Say
It's for a good cause and all, but it's hard not to look at Willie Nelson's 2005 Songs for Tsunami Relief and see either the umpteenth live Willie and friends LP, or at the very least, what seems to be the tenth album Nelson has released in a calendar year. Actually, it's merely the fifth album since May 2004 to be billed to Nelson, and this isn't as much a proper Willie Nelson album as it is a various-artists record sold on his name, since he's the biggest star here. He headlined the benefit concert assembled by Texas Monthly writer Michael Hall, whose idea was to showcase Austin's finest musicians from Willie and fellow country outlaws like Joe Ely and Alejandro Escovedo, all the way down to celebrated indie rockers Spoon. Hall mentions in his liner notes that these kind of benefit shows are a bit of a tradition in Austin, and the performances have a nice, comfortable familiarity, giving the music a warm, appealing vibe. It also means that apart from Spoon's rather incongruous appearance between Escovedo and Kelly Willis, there's nothing all that surprising here, either in sound or song selection, but that's par for the course with benefit albums: the intent is to lure listeners, not to alienate them. And for anybody that's a fan of Austin's ever-fertile roots music scene, there's something to enjoy here -- maybe not enough to listen to the record often, but how many benefit albums are designed for frequent play anyway? In all likelihood, Songs for Tsunami Relief is not an album that will be played much by whomever purchases it -- the music is good, but not remarkable -- yet the record is entertaining on that first listen and, besides, it's for a good cause and all. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Outlaws and Angels'
Release Date 9/14/2004
Tracks 19
Label Lost Highway
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What The Critics Say
Outlaws and Angels is the audio counterpart to the Willie Nelson Special that aired on cable television in the summer of 2004. Here, Nelson is surrounded by friends who also happen to be fans. Among them are Keith Richards, Lucinda Williams, Merle Haggard, Carole King, Al Green, the Holmes Brothers, Toby Keith, Kid Rock, Shelby Lynne, Jerry Lee Lewis, Los Lonely Boys, Toots Hibbert, Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Rickie Lee Jones, and Lee Ann Womack. Interestingly, Bob Dylan, who was part of the broadcast, is absent here, though he has top billing on the advert for the DVD that comes in the package. That said, this set is for the hardcore only: the first irritating thing is that the announcer for the evening introduces each guest -- sometimes in the middle of a song! While this could have been easily edited, the fact that it was left in for the audio CD is inexcusable. Secondly, the material, while compelling, is rarely executed in such a way. The ease that Haggard and Nelson display with one another is rarely achieved elsewhere. Williams' duet with Nelson on "Overtime" is truly beautiful, and the pair share an affinity for delivering ballads without overstatement. Likewise, Keith Richards' appearance with Nelson on "We Had It All carries with it real authority, and Nelson's own delivery on the tune is stellar and deeply and oddly, Richards' own vocal, despite his limited range, complements Willie's well in a roughshod way. But these are the clear highlights. The rest, with Haggard, Lewis, Kid Rock, and Richards, is just plain embarrassing. This is a mixed bag to be sure, but it's not without some charm. If only the presentation were better. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
