Essential Willie Nelson, The - Willie Nelson

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: It's very very poor

..., but any blues fan will know what I mean. This just sounds cold, calculated, unfeeling. It's boring to the 'n'th degree. I love Willie Nelson's voice. I'm not a typical country fan , but when someone has as unique a vocal as say Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, or Johnny Cash then I'll always give them a listen... till now. What's worse is the track listing on the album is a full of absolute gems from years gone by - including such staples as Georgia On My Mind, Stardust, Caldonia, Basin Street Blues. Each of these, and the rest of the songs on the album, should sound amazing if these guys were both on top form, but the versions are highly recommended as a cure for insomnia, they're just lacking that 'oomph' to get them out of first gear. Overall, possibly the most disappointing album I've ever bought. Sadly I can't give it a zero star rating... Read review

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Advantages: Willie's sweet voice and stinging guitar
Disadvantages: It's not twice as long

...The music: clean, uncluttered introspective. The songs: conveying the stark, sere, loneness of the singer. It's been called "blue collar blues" and I'd call it that, too, more than I'd call it country music. Only three of the songs are new, written in the 1990s, the rest are refashioned from the 1960s, and the 30 years in between scarcely matter. The songs were chosen and pieced together to tell the story of obssessive love or convey the concept of domestic abuse, whichever way you want to see it. And they do succeed in working together. They succeed in taking hold of your heart and grabbing onto it hard. Somehow, in Willie Nelson's mature voice, the older songs take on a new edge and freshness. Emmy Lou Harris's background voice deepens the poignancy and works sweetly with Willie's. Hers is the ghostly voice of the victim and... Read review

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Advantages: A couple of high points
Disadvantages: The end of a great career?

...Poor old Dave - he seems to have lost his way a little bit musically, not really knowing whether he wants to be Barry Manilow, Louis Armstrong or even Willie Nelson! This album features no fewer than nine co-writers (not counting the three on the sole cover track) which is an indication of the diversity of the material. In fact, "mellow" is probably the word which best sums up this offering, and it's certainly a million miles away from DLR-era Van Halen. Best moments are "She's My Machine" - about a car (yeah right!) - "Big Train" (featuring the line "I'm goin' before wine women and song, Become beer, the old lady and TV" - I know the feeling!), "A Little Luck" ("When I go to the movies I pay for 3" - get the drift?) and "Land's Edge" ("If love is blind why did her stockings always look so cool?"). There are also some er, strange... Read review

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