Willie Nelson – Country Music (HighTone Series 2-LP Vinyl) Vinyl Record

Review

Don't be fooled by the trick of the title. The generic appellation—Country Music—may suggest a truck-stop compilation vibe; dusty and spinning on a turnstile rack next to the jerky and candy bars. Really, this effort is anything but that. Instead, it's a latter-day gem from Willie Nelson that celebrates country music with the widest and most respectful of panoramic definitions.

Originally released in 2010, this reissue is back on 2-LP vinyl, CD, and most digital platforms. Initially, Nelson's first for Rounder Records, it was a Grammy-nominated success, earning the nod in the Americana category. And true to that genre, the 15-track set rides predominantly on the graceful gliding of fiddle and mandolin, more so than Nelson's unmistakable guitar talent. Notwithstanding, Willie's trademark picking is still present, for sure; yet, embedded tastefully in a collection of songs he grew up singing and playing, dotted with hues of bluegrass, Appalachian folk, blues, spirituals, and Texas swing.

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Nelson gathers up a handful of tunes by country icons, including Ernest Tubb and Hank Williams. With spare instrumentation, and a vocal honest and pure, it is as relaxed and authentic as Willie gets. The lope of "I Am a Pilgrim" is infectious. The chill of "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down" is the blues incarnate. The pulse of "Pistol Packin' Mama," foundational and fun.

This is a genuine double-album delight, rich with reverence and patience, seeking not to update these classics, nor archive them as relics. Rather, Nelson performs each in a manner that confirms his vibrant, beating-heart, lifelong love of each. Indeed, anything but generic. This is, at its finest, the music of the country.

— Larson Sutton, jambands.com

Product Details

Country Music sees the legendary Willie Nelson interpret traditional country standards for an album The Washington Post hails “a calm, contemplative, and remarkably consistent album.” The 2010 GRAMMY®-nominated album features renditions of 14 country classics such as “Dark as a Dungeon,” "Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down," and “Satisfied Mind,” along with a version of his 1959 single, “Man with the Blues.”