Willie Nelson- Oh What A Beautiful World
Label: Legacy
Producer: Buddy Cannon
Willie Nelson’s early nineties continue to prove themselves as a period as prolific as any other in the Red Headed Stranger’s incomparable career, and Oh What A Beautiful World is another gem that extends both his extraordinary collaborative run with producer Buddy Cannon, as well as his generous series of tribute albums to fellow music icons. The roster of previous Nelson honorees has included heroes like Kris Kristofferson, Cindy Walker, Ray Charles, Ray Price, Harlan Howard, Frank Sinatra, and The Gershwin Brothers. The latest subject, Rodney Crowell, is most certainly a worthy addition to that selectively curated list. A towering country and folk poet, Crowell’s masterful songs and records have been benchmarks in the American music landscape for five decades now. They’ve been hits for both himself and an array of other artists, as well as a source for cherished cover versions both inside and outside the music mainstream.
There are many things to love about Nelson’s homage to his fellow Texan. First and foremost is the varied sonic and production choices that Cannon makes throughout the collection. There’s a warm, full-bodied country-rock bedrock that’s both perfectly emblematic of Crowell’s own core sound, and a welcome detour for Willie’s own sound. Yes, there’s still plenty of the raw and classic gut-string Willie sound throughout, but its superbly balanced with these more electric guitar-driven arrangements depending on what the particular song calls for. This blend gives the overall album a seamless intersection of the Nelson and Crowell cornerstones that are equally beloved by music lovers, without ever deviating from its singular identity as a Willie Nelson album.
And let’s talk about that song selection. Nelson and Cannon did such a marvelous job curating the track list for this project. Like any other music star of legendary proportions, the general identity of Rodney Crowell’s catalog tends to get siphoned down to a handful of well-known songs: the “Leaving Louisianas”, “Ain’t Living Longs”, and “Til I Gain Controls”. All of these songs are deserving of their standard status, but that also means they’ve been covered in numerous other settings, including some by Willie himself. This collection of songs recognizes the impressive depths of Crowell’s canon, and the fact that it’s been consistently stellar since his commercial heyday ended decades ago. As a result, we’re treated to a treasure trove of later classics, from the Roy Orbison-co-written 90s standout “What Kind of Love” (a stellar opening track) and past mainstream curations like “Making Memories of Us” (the 2005 Keith Urban smash) and “Open Season On My Heart” (a fabulous 2004 Tim McGraw album cut), to latter-day Americana favorites like “The Banks of the Old Bandera”, “The Fly Boy & the Kid”, and the luminous title track, of which Crowell duets on. There are also some more well-known inclusions like the Bob Seger hit, “Shame On the Moon”, as well as “Still Learning to Fly” and the closing Guy Clark co-write, “Stuff That Works”. The aggregate results make for an undeniably flawless dozen of top-shelf songs from one of music history’s greatest songsmiths, delivered by one of the most revered vocalists of all time. And that voice of Nelson’s, though unavoidably slightly thinner on each successive release, remains one of the most magical song vessels to be found among the living.
Oh, what a beautiful record.
Track Listing:
- “What Kind of Love” (Rodney Crowell, Roy Orbison, Will Jennings)
- “Banks of the Old Bandera” (Crowell)
- “The Fly Boy & The Kid” (Crowell)
- “Forty Miles From Nowhere” (Crowell)
- I Wouldn’t Be Me Without You” (Crowell)
- “Making Memories of Us” (Crowell)
- “Oh What A Beautiful World” featuring Rodney Crowell (Crowell)
- “Open Season On My Heart” (Crowell, James T. Slater)
- “Shame On the Moon” (Crowell)
- “She’s Back In Town” (Crowell)
- “Still Learning How To Fly” (Crowell)
- “Stuff That Works” (Crowell, Guy Clark)
The 706 
Leave a comment