Willie Nelson

He smoked a joint on the roof of the White House, sang with Julio Iglesias and on We Are The World, and he's still here. And still great

Willie Nelson: It Will Always Be
(Herald rating * * * *)

Willie Nelson And Friends: Outlaws And Angels
(Herald rating * * *)


Now in his 70s, Nelson shows no signs of slowing down, although it's fair to observe that for the past few decades he's been going at his own leisurely pace. In his case, speeding up would be more of a surprise as he lives his life much the same way as he sings and plays guitar, in his own casual way and slightly behind the beat.

There are plenty of Willie Nelsons these days: the outlaw and red-headed stranger; the MOR balladeer who became the Bing Crosby of country; the golfer and the stoner; the survivor of his generation; the legend.

The first of these two albums shows the breadth of his musical vision and includes material by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan (the lyrically simple Picture in a Frame) and Toby Keith (the weary, working class narrative of Tired); duets with Norah Jones, Lucinda Williams and daughter Paula; and a tough-minded revisit of the Allman Brothers' Midnight Rider. There are also moving originals like the musically and lyrically evocative Texas, and the title track which places itself among his greatest work.

Nelson's weather-beaten voice finds its equal here in the ballads but he also kicks along with Big Booty and I Didn't Come Here (And I Ain't Leavin'). But it is those slow, considered songs like Dreams Come True with Jones, and Overtime with Williams (who mostly avoids her increasingly mannered drawl) where Nelson is at his most poignant.

That Nelson should be still making important and affecting music at this stage of his life, almost half a century after his first sessions, is little short of remarkable.

Outlaws and Angels comes from last year's live television special and is a collision of famous friends including Merle Haggard, Kid Rock, a throat-abusing Al Green, Shelby Lynn (for an appealing, lazily delivered lounge version of Stormy Weather), Ben Harper, Keith Richards, Lucinda Williams and more.

The sheer weight of having ever-changing guests means it never quite settles in for long enough and that somewhat kills the flow (great doco though, let's hope a television channel scores it). But it is one helluva party from Georgia On A Fast Train (with Toby Keith and Joe Walsh) to I'll Fly Away with Merle. And the exceptional band includes Jimmy Ripp and Nils Lofgren, pianist Ivan Neville, drummer Jim Keltner and harmonica player Mickey Raphael among others.

Two very different albums: the first mostly thoughtful and for home consumption, the second for when summer comes and you've got that barbecue fired up, friends around and bit of a mood on.