Willie Nelson
American Classic
(Blue Note, 2009)
http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com
by j. poet
There isn’t too much to be said about Willie Nelson as a performer, songwriter, or nonconforming country music artist that hasn’t been said many times already. Frank Sinatra named Nelson as one of his favorite singers, and while they share a conversational, matter-of-fact tone that brings heightened drama to the songs of lost love they favor, Nelson’s phrasing is a bit more jazzy than Sinatra’s, a slightly behind-the-beat approach that can convey sadness and playfulness in equal measures.
Bruce Lundvall, the Columbia A&R man who suggested Nelson cut Stardust, the best-selling album of standards Nelson released in 1978, is now at Blue Note and suggested Nelson return to the American songbook to commemorate that 30-year-old chestnut. Lundvall brought in legendary producer Tommy LiPuma, known for his work with Miles Davis, Anita Baker, and Diana Krall, to name just a few. Johnny Mandel wrote band charts for the session, aiming for a Bob Wills-meets-Django Reinhardt feel. Lundvall asked Jazz Crusaders piano man Joe Sample to arrange the rhythm section and the result lives up to the album title with 12 cool, swinging, timeless tunes marked by Nelson’s ageless vocals.
The album opens with “The Nearness of You”, the Hoagy Carmichael/Ned Washington tune that’s been recorded by everyone from Sinatra to Keith Richards. Sample’s dreamy piano and Anthony Wilson’s mellow guitar provide sympathetic backing to Nelson’s flawless vocals. When Ray Charles sang “Come Rain or Come Shine”, you could sense the thunderclouds rolling in. Nelson concentrates on the sunny side of the street, so to speak, with a slow, simmering vocal. Sample’s piano supplies subtle, bluesy touches and delicious arpeggios that set off the organ of Jim Cox.
Diana Krall’s purring vocals bring up the temperature on “If I Had You.” Nelson’s playful vocal makes a nice contrast, while Wilson’s guitar complements Krall’s keyboard work. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” gets a smooth reading from the ensemble, with Cox taking a concise turn on the organ to augment Sample’s blue piano. Norah Jones brings her light touch to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, another playful duet with Nelson’s arch and seduction playing off of Jones’ faux resistance. Nelson drops a short guitar solo while his longtime harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, dances in the background.
Nelson’s always had a way with sad songs, and there are four killers here. “I Miss You So” got an over-the-top reading by Connie Francis in the early days of rock. Nelson gives it his usual understated treatment, emphasizing the phrase “I miss you so” by drawing out the “I” for several beats to make it sound like a sigh of anguish. “Since I Fell for You” is given a quiet ’50s R&B feel thanks to Raphael’s harmonica, Sample’s piano triplets, and Cox’s sanctified organ. “Angel Eyes”, another tune long associated with Sinatra, has perhaps the bluest lyric on the album, the words heavy on masochism and self-pity. Nelson’s behind-the-beat phrasing works especially well here, wringing every tortured nuance out of the tune. Nelson took “Always on My Mind” to #5 on the pop charts in 1982, and many people think he wrote the tune. It was actually penned by Johnny Christopher, Mark James, and Wayne Carson Thompson, and originally charted by Brenda Lee in 1972. Elvis Presley and the Pet Shop Boys have also had hits with it. Nelson uses it as a closer, and imbues it with even more hopeless emotion than he did 27 years ago.
American Classic is just that, a collection of archetypal ballads sung every night in piano bars and cocktail lounges around the world by singers great and marginally talented, but turned into burnished gold by Nelson and his collaborators. While some listeners may think this album is just background music, one day they’ll likely discover the universal truths found in even the most clichéd pop lyric. And who better to introduce them to the sad facts of life than Mr. Nelson?