| Honeysuckle Rose - Willie Nelson | |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
When Honeysuckle Rose came out in 1980, Willie Nelson was the superstar of country music. This album was the soundtrack to the film of the same name and it features many Willie songs along with some by Johnny Gimble, Jody Payne, Hank Cochran, Amy Irving, Kenneth Threadgill, Jeannie Seely, Dyan Cannon and Emmylou Harris. For the new reissue on Columbia/Legacy Records, There are two previously unreleased tracks and one new to CD track. Included in with the CD is a nice package of liner notes that outline the history of this record.
Of the original tracks the most notable has to be Willie's gem, and Number 1 hit, "On The Road Again." The song tells the story of a musical troubadour who yearns to be on the road "playing music with my friends."
"Blue Eyes Cryin' In The Rain" is a classic song written in 1945 by Fred Rose and it established Willie as a star. It came out of left field to become a Billboard No. 1 hit by which the rest of Willie's music has been measured.
Jody Payne gives a fine rendition of Merle Haggard's common-man classic "Working Man Blues." Mickey Raphael's harmonics fills out the song which features Jody's great electric guitar grooves. For those that don't know, Jody is Willie's lead guitarist in his touring band.
As the one of two previously unreleased tracks, "Yesterday's Wine" is a classic Willie that George Jones, Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings have all recorded. It’s a song about the past. The only complaint I have with the song is that its recording is a bit lower than the rest of the CD, perhaps why it was cut off the original version of this album.
Anyone who's heard "Whiskey River" before knows that it's a get her off my mind type of song, as a lot of class country songs are, but it's more rocking with a great beat and the live version here is one of Willie's better performances as he and his band jam for about a minute at the end of the song.
Kris Kristofferson has written some gems in his career and "Loving You Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" and "You Show Me Yours (And I'll Show You Mine)" are two of them. Actress Dyan Cannon and Willie duet on "Loving" while actress Amy Irving helps out on "You Show Me Yours." Both actresses showcase good vocal styles that serve as good songs on this soundtrack.
"Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground" is the other hit single from this record. Like "On The Road Again," it was a No. 1. Hit and has endured as to become one of the better romantic songs Willie has ever written. The solo with "Trigger," Willie's famous guitar is one of the best solo's I've ever heard.
While primarily associated with Waylon Jennings and Willie, "Good Hearted Women" has been recorded by both men as solo artists and is presented here as the other unreleased track. Willie's version here is very good and this track is a fun honky tonk song that picks up the tempo and moves faster and faster as the song goes along as a short rendition.
Easily Hank Cochran's most notable song, "Make The World Go Away" is a nice addition the soundtrack and features Jeannie Seely singing harmony vocals and features a Johnny Gimble fiddle solo in the middle of the song.
Featuring 26 songs, this is one CD that has a lot of very good performances by Willie and his friends. Longtime fans of Willie will truly enjoy Honeysuckle Rose. The CD is also a nice introduction to Willie Nelson and what he's all about as a performer and writer. Honeysuckle Rose is a classic CD in Willie's collection and I'm happy that Legacy/Columbia decided to re-issue it.
Song List:
Album cover used with permission of Legacy Recordings.
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