Pure of voice, pure of soulful lead guitar played on beat-up classical guitar, a songwriter of great subtlety and depth who can conjure up any mood, paint vivid scenes of American myth, and bring you back to the simpler American days of our dreams.
Willie Nelson
Always On My Mind
Side 1
1. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
2. Always On My Mind
3. A Whiter Shade of Pale
4. Let It Be Me
5. Staring Each Other Down
Side 2
6. Bridge Over Troubled Water
7. Old Fords and Natural Stone
8. Permanently Lonely
9. Last Thing I Needed (The First Thing This Morning)
10. The Party's Over
The 80s was a time when the "Urban Cowboy" fad suddenly made country music mainstream again and Nashville stoked the crossover fires with acts like Alabama, Kenny Rogers, and Anne Murray blurring the lines between the music of rural America and mainstream pop.
While Willie covers quite a few pop songs here, he re-fashions them into his image, rather than allowing himself to be bent to theirs and for the most part the album is very successful. Memphis producing legend Chips Moman is sympathetic and doesn't drown Nelson in unnecessary instrumentation or shove him down into the mix.
HIGHLIGHTS:
He doesn't steal "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" from Aretha (as Amazon's reviewer notes) but he does successfully tap into the 'wandering eyes' theme inherent in Moman's tune. It was an inspired choice for the album and works well. The title track is easily the finest track here. Willie takes an also ran Elvis track and makes it his. (This coming from someone who owns all 3 Elvis "decade" box sets). I'll also take issue with the assessment that "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is 'questionable' as the Amazon reviewer asserts. Nelson stretches and we get to hear his upper register..something he doesn't often use. It's a pleasant surprise and the addition of a sensitive vocal from Waylon Jennings only makes it better. Clever lyrics highlight "Last Thing I Needed First Thing this Morning".
LOWS:
The epic "Bridge over Troubled Water" really calls for a "belter" vocalist...and that Willie is decidedly not. At the coda where the music swells for the big finale, it feels like a whimper instead of a bang. It's one of the few misbegotten song choices here. "Permanently Lonely" isn't awful but it's somewhat mediocre. Amid the stronger songs here, it's a valley.
BOTTOM LINE:
While it's definitely not a highwater mark in Willie's catalogue like STARDUST, it's a fine effort that holds up surprisingly well. Every Nelson fan will probably like this and most country fans should as well.
3 1/2 stars
