Lost Highway

Performer: Willie Nelson
Artist: Rob Thomas; Lee Ann Womack; Ray Price; Toby Keith; Shania Twain; Lucinda Williams; Diana Krall; Elvis Costello
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Illustrator: Wayne Brezinka. LOST HIGHWAY is a compilation gathering some of the best tracks from Willie Nelson's output of the past decade for his Lost Highway label. Willie is joined by a stellar cast of guest artists including Lee Ann Womack, Toby Keith, Shania Twain, Lucinda Williams, Diana Krall and Elvis Costello, and Ray Price. Willie Nelson never has been known for his consistency, either in style or quality, yet his stint at Lost Highway Records may be his most schizophrenic collection of recordings ever. Signed to the alt country label at the turn of the decade, Nelson proceeded to cut a muddled mainstream crossover, pitched himself at Lost Highway's typical Americana audience with an album produced by Ryan Adams, pander to his forgotten mainstream country audience with an album produced by Kenny Chesney, salute the stoners with a reggae album, and tip his hat to the main lady of Western swing with a tremendous tribute album to songwriter Cindy Walker. In between all of that, Willie wound up having his only genuine hit single of the decade dueting with Toby Keith on the post-9/11 pro-vigilante "Beer for My Horses," and scored some serious column inches when he dredged up "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other" in the wake of the homosexual romantic western Brokeback Mountain. All this is heard on Lost Highway and hearing the highlights condensed to a single 17-track collection only makes it all seem more confusing. This was a time when Willie was happy to be all things to everybody -- an impression confirmed by the release of Willie's cover of the Saddle Sores' "Ain't Goin' Down on Brokeback Mountain," a song that undoes whatever "Cowboys" did -- and lost sight of why anybody cared about him in the first place. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Willie Nelson never has been known for his consistency, either in style or quality, yet his stint at Lost Highway Records may be his most schizophrenic collection of recordings ever. Signed to the alt country label at the turn of the decade, Nelson proceeded to cut a muddled mainstream crossover, pitched himself at Lost Highway's typical Americana audience with an album produced by Ryan Adams, appealed to his forgotten mainstream country audience with an album produced by Kenny Chesney, salute the stoners with a reggae album, and tip his hat to the main lady of Western swing with a tremendous tribute album to songwriter Cindy Walker. In between all of that, Willie wound up having his only genuine hit single of the decade dueting with Toby Keith on the post-9/11 pro-vigilante "Beer for My Horses," and scored some serious column inches when he dredged up "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other" in the wake of the homosexual romantic western Brokeback Mountain. All this is heard on Lost Highway, which condenses these records to a 17-track collection that manages to hit the highlights of these uneven records, adding three previously unreleased cuts for good measure. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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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