Half Nelson

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Ray Charles; Lacy J. Dalton; Merle Haggard; Julio Iglesias; George Jones; Leon Russell; Carlos Santana; Mel Tillis
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Lacy J. Dalton, Neil Young, Hank Williams, Mel Tillis, Ray Charles, Julio Iglesias, Carlos Santana, Leon Russell, George Jones. Producers include: Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Chips Moman, Marshall Morgan, Paul Worley. This is an appropriate collection, since Nelson has recorded more duets with more fellow performers than any other country singer in history. This runs the gamut, from traditional country singers Merle Haggard and George Jones, to soulman Ray Charles, to Latin-lover Julio Iglesias, and the rock band Santana. It even has a duet with the late Hank Williams, arranged through modern studio recording technology. ~ Tom Roland HALF NELSON is a compilation of duets Willie Nelson recorded during the early 1980's. The majority of tracks are drawn from previously released albums and singles. The result is a mixed bag that includes something for practically everyone, from fans of older country (Merle Haggard, Mel Tillis, George Jones, and a studio-created duet with Hank Williams Sr.) to rock and rollers (Neil Young, Leon Russell, Carlos Santana). Nelson is a sensitive duet partner, and when the material is first-rate he rises to the challenge well. Occasionally, Nelson shines on what is arguably inferior material, such as the treacly mega-hit "To All the Girls I've Loved Before," performed with Julio Iglesias. High points include the Nelson-Merle Haggard version of "Pancho and Lefty," one of the great singles of its era, and the Western swing tune "Texas on a Saturday Night," performed with Mel Tillis. Nelson is well-paired with fellow hippie iconoclast Neil Young on "Are There Any More Real Cowboys?," drawn from Young's OLD WAYS album. HALF NELSON also includes three previously unreleased tracks, including Hank Sr.'s "I Told A Lie to My Heart," a demo tape onto which Willie overdubbed a harmony vocal and guitar solo.

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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