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Written by Glenn BurnSilver
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Thursday, 12 October 2006 |
Willie Nelson
Songbird
Lost Highway
Ryan Adams is a bit of a wildman; Willie Nelson, similarly, has always followed his whim. Thus, it is the pairing of these renegades that really makes Songbird, Nelson’s latest effort of originals (new or reworked) and unusual cover songs. Nelson takes on the Grateful Dead’s “Stella Blue,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” Gram Parson’s “$1000 Wedding” and even Christine McVie’s “Songbird”—albeit all countrified versions soaring with pedal steel sweetness and occasional lush background vocals that balance Nelson’s dry rasp.
With his band, The Cardinals, Adams provides an edgy punch to songs like “Rainy Day Blues” and “We Don’t Run,” but mostly lays back in an old-school vein. Adams also penned “Blue Hotel” specifically for Nelson to capitalize on his distinctive intonation. Adams’ arrangement of “Amazing Grace,” dark and haunting with church organ and acoustic, flamenco-ish guitar, completes the album with a lingering, captivating somberness. Glenn BurnSilver
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Last Updated ( Monday, 08 January 2007 )
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