It’s fun to hear Willie Nelson sing such words as “ninja,” “fishmonger” and “absinthe,” which are among the many pleasures found in the songbook of influential country songwriter Rodney Crowell.
“Oh What A Beautiful World” is Nelson’s latest album devoted to the songs of a specific songwriter, and in Crowell, he’s interpreting a kindred spirit. While Crowell has a slightly different lyric vocabulary, both are Texans with a deep love of Hank Williams.
The pairing – great songs and a great singer – works beautifully. The album will be out Friday, just before Nelson’s 92nd birthday on April 29.
He has long sounded ageless, but more than ever, Nelson sings like a sage. His reedy tenor can be a little whispery, but he displays surprising vocal range. His relaxed, conversational delivery is filled with warmth and wisdom. He’ll start a phrase late, end it early and make it seem perfect.
When he reminisces about childhood on “Banks of the Old Bandera” — originally recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker — Nelson sounds just like he did in 1976, the year the song was written. Other material ranges from “Shame on the Moon,” a 1982 pop hit for Bob Seger, to Crowell’s overlooked gem “She’s Back in Town.”
Also included are tunes that have been recorded by Tim McGraw and Keith Urban and a folksy ballad co-written with Guy Clark .
Longtime Nelson collaborator Buddy Cannon produced the record, and the backing musicians provide graceful, tasteful support. Nelson’s beloved guitar Trigger plays a significant role, including on a careening, don’t-try-this-at-home solo on the title cut, a duet with Crowell.
Also among the highlights is “The Fly Boy & The Kid,” a prayerlike shuffle with playful lyrics that Nelson leans into. He’s equally frisky doing roadhouse blues on “She’s Back in Town,” while elsewhere the mood tends toward contemplative. “The days go by like flying bricks,” Nelson sings on the handsome ballad “Open Season On My Heart.”
More than any other song in the set, “Still Learning How to Fly” seems as if it was written for Nelson. Nearing the end of the album – Nelson’s 154th, according to Texas Monthly’s herculean ranking of his prolific discography — he sings:
“I’ve got a past that I won’t soon forget / And you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
He sounds as if he means it.
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