Search - Willie Nelson :: All American Country

Big bang for the buck

S. Saunders | Rocky Mountains USA | 12/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This unpretentious little CD issued by "Sony Music Special Products" is short (33 minutes, says the back cover), sweet and all good. Willie is in fine voice on all the tracks, which include a few absolute Nelson classics. The arrangements are excellent, with enough variety to keep boredom at bay through the collection. There are no liner notes, but the copyright dates on the CD label run from 1976 to 1990, which I think means the dates when the tracks were recorded. I assume it's a compilation of previously issued material.



The classic and lovely "Always On My Mind" segues into "I Never Go Around Mirrors," a definitive Willie song. The tempo picks up with "Why Are You Pickin' on Me?" which just invites a person to get up and dance a Texas two-step around the room. This track features a fine piano solo. In the absence of liner notes, I'm left to wonder if the soloist is Bobbie Nelson.



If you're up dancing to "Pickin' on Me," the next track will send you gliding around the room: a well-orchestrated "Help Me Make it Through The Night." Thank goodness, this arrangement is not dragged out like a dirge (I've heard some versions like that). Instead, the moderate tempo is maintained with smooth percussion and horns backing Willie's vocals.



Next comes a live performance of the inimitable "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground." The audience adds energy to the track that doesn't destroy the poignant essence of the song. The next tracks are a quiet studio cut of "Mona Lisa," and three strong country songs, "I'm Not Trying to Forget You Anymore," the classic "If You've Got the Money (Honey) I've Got the Time," and "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way."



The final track is "City of New Orleans" which bounces along much like a rolling train. Willie's backed with good vocals and instruments that include just enough harmonica. This may be my all time favorite arrangement of this song.



This CD is truly a bargain; ten quality tracks with no mediocre filling to puff the length out to an hour so the label can put a higher price on the thing. I wish there were liner notes, but I'd rather have a handful of great songs without liner notes than a motley collection of stuff with a small book's worth of babble included."