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| IT ALWAYS WILL BE - WILLIE NELSON (2004) |
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| The double entendre of the CD title may be unintentional, but Willie Nelson has always succeeded in turning a simple song into a musical epic; I can�t see that changing. Although there are a number of other songwriting individuals and teams credited here, Willie composed the love-affirming title track, the marriage of Spanish and Tex-Mex guitar in �Texas� (a proud salute to his home state), and an outstanding collaboration with David Anderson on �My Broken Heart Belongs to You�. The multi-layered fretwork on this track alone is worth the price of the CD. Son and daughter Lukas Nelson and Paula Nelson individually display their hereditary songwriting talents on �You Were It�, a bittersweet country waltz attesting to the healing power of music, and �Be That As It May�, with Paula�s nasal growl offering a sharp contrast to Willie�s smooth-as-velvet vocals. For the most part, these songs are bluesy reminiscences about defeat, whether from love gone bad, social rejection or simply age-related ennui, but it�s the emotional reactions (sadness, embarrassment, anger, defiance) that distinguish them from each other. Lucinda Williams and Norah Jones, two of the finest female country-blues artists today, are also musically squired by Willie on Lucinda�s poignantly beautiful �Overtime� and J.C. Hopkins� �Dreams Come True�. The latter is on par with the �Unforgettable� Natalie Cole-Nat King Cole �duet� and features great guitar and piano work Sandwiched between the �dreamy� stuff on these 14 tracks, we get a dose of kick-ass dancehall country music in �Big Booty� (Sonny Throckmorton) and the humorous barroom boogie of �I Didn�t Come Here [And I Ain�t Leavin�]�, featuring the great line, �I�ve been thrown into better places than this�. This track features Mickey Raphael on harmonica. I�m not sure which of the three keyboardists contributed here, but he rocks! The blues-harp-drenched �Midnight Rider� (one of the Allman Brothers� early classics) features background vocals by Nashville�s finest talent. This could have been a really cool extended jam by the crew, but it�s strangely put to rest in a mere three minutes. Overall, it�s a fairly low-key production, but, as always, it�s exquisitely tasteful. David Zettner�s graphic artwork (see above) adds a special �presence� to the CD, as well. |
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