Willie Nelson’s Band Of Brothers
By Michael Verity
There’s a smiling optimism and a healthy dose of good humor on Willie Nelson’s Band Of Brothers, the first collection of predominantly new material to be released by the country legend in 20 years. All 14 tracks are all new recordings, nine of which were written by Willie and producer Buddy Cannon (with the rest penned by the likes of Vince Gill, Gordie Sampson and Billy Joe Shaver).
The album opens with with the Nelson/Cannon piece “Bring It On,” a worldly-wise but enthusiastically optimistic country waltz, complete with its fair share of biblical references. From scripture to sex in a matter of minutes, “Guitar In The Corner” is about girls and guitars. Funny, how Willie can keep singing about girls, even at age 81, and still sound cool (because if you and I did that it would just sound creepy.) “The Wall,” an introspective tune with lilting railroad groove wraps up the first group of Nelson/Cannon tunes, segueing into Willie’s interpretation of Vince Gill’s heartbreaking “Whenever You Come Around.”
“Well I love my wives and I love my girlfriends but may they never meet,” he sings on “Wives and Girlfriends,” the first of four more originals. (And again, Willie sounds so “uncreepy” when he sings about cheating. How does he do it?)
Three minutes and 180 degrees later, we ask: who hasn’t felt the pain Willie describes on “I Thought I Left You,” wherein he asks “so, why aren’t you leaving me?” And who hasn’t danced (drunk or otherwise) to a brazen barroom two-step, performed to perfection here on the pedal steel and piano tune, “Used To Her.”
And so it goes with the rest of Band Of Brothers. There’s bright-eyed optimism, good-hearted romance and incisive commentary, all sung with a remarkably delicate and clear voice, in front of musical performances that are clean and deftly executed. Band Of Brothers ain’t Stardust but it certainly is a fine record and a rewarding listen.
Visit Willie online, Band of Brothers is available now!
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