Songs [Digipak]

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Waylon Jennings; Merle Haggard; Lee Ann Womack; Brian McKnight; B.B. King; Francine Reed
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Willie Nelson has been making records since 1956, and has been scoring major hit records since 1975, so trying to summarize his career on one CD is no small task. Songs is hardly the first attempt to do just that, with literally dozens of Nelson collections on the market, and there isn't much that's especially remarkable about this one, except for the fact that it makes a genuine attempt to follow the trajectory of Nelson's life in music, and focuses on Willie the songwriter as much as Willie the vocalist. Beginning with Nelson's early recordings of "Crazy" (appearing here in its original demo form) and "Touch Me," Songs throws in a few choice obscurities and fan favorites (such as the sardonic "Good Times" and the sweetly mournful "Yesterday's Wine") along with the hits and perennial classics, such as "On the Road Again," "Whiskey River," and "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain." The set does throw in a few offbeat versions of well-known tunes (a duet with B.B. King on "Night Life," for example) and surprise choices (how did Willie's jazzy version of "The Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie end up here, not to mention a duet with Brian McKnight?), but for the most part Songs collects most of the tunes most closely associated with Willie Nelson in one spot, and it's a pleasant and cohesive listen. But serious fans will have lots of this already and dabblers will probably wonder why some of the tunes they've never heard of are on board, so it's hard to say just who this disc is supposed to please. Points added for Colin Escott's excellent liner notes. ~ Mark Deming Considering the daunting number of Willie Nelson compilations already available prior to the release of 2005's SONGS, wary record-buyers may be forgiven for asking, "Why another one?" What sets this disc apart is its audacious attempt to summarize an incredibly prolific, half-century-plus career in a single 20-song collection. Given the sheer number of stylistic detours the Texas country singer has taken, complete success in this regard is an obvious impossibility. That said, SONGS does a good job in presenting a wide-screen snapshot of the many moods of Mr. Nelson. The disc begins appropriately with Willie's original demo for "Crazy," one of his most famous compositions and a genre-defining hit for Patsy Cline. The lazy, jazzy, steel-guitar-driven honky-tonk of this seminal cut is followed by several tracks from the 1960s and '70s that reveal Nelson's descriptive lyrics, unusual vocal phrasing, and outlaw attitude all coming into full flower. The disc goes on to feature a series of duets, including a bluesy roadhouse version of Nelson's classic ballad "Funny How Time Slips Away" (with Francine Reed) and the synthesizer-infused pop/R&B of the Brian McKnight collaboration "Don't Fade Away." Fittingly, SONGS concludes with a rousing live version of the timeless Nelson tune "On the Road Again."

Dirty Linen (p.55) - "[The songs] underscore Nelson's stunning yet tender vocal prowess."

Willie Nelson began working in a conventional Nashville style and had great success as the songwriter of Faron Young's hit "Hello Walls" and others, but he was initially unable to make it as a performer. In the 1970s, he and Waylon Jennings made history with their outlaw country sound and image, growing their hair long and utilizing a raw, rock-influenced sound that endeared them to millions of country fans and rockers alike. Subsequently, Nelson ventured into Sinatra territory with STARDUST, an album of standards that became a huge success and established him as a singer who transcended genre boundaries. Throughout the '80s, '90s, and into the 21st century, he crossed over into pop and back again continually, even releasing an album of reggae covers, working with artists as diverse as Julio Iglesias and Ryan Adams.

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