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CD Review: Oh Boy Presents Willie Nelson - Willie Nelson

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Reviewed by Jennifer Webb

Willie Nelson is such a legend, that sometimes I did not know what to say about the songs on this album. He has his own unique singing style which makes him an extra special person in Country Music; surely a legend in his own right.

Songwriting seems to come naturally to Willie, as twelve songs are written by him alone, and the other three were co-written with one other person; "Little Things" written with Shirley Nelson, "A Broken Promise" written with Hank Cochran, and "Night Life" written with Ray Price.

First up is perhaps one of the most well-known country songs in the complete history of the genre - "Crazy." When you think of this song, you are most certainly reminded of the talented Patsy Cline singing it, but did you know that Willie was the one that penned this tune? One major difference in the two talented artist's versions is that Willie does not hold his notes as long as Patsy did.

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Because of the fast honky tonk pace and the truly classic sound to it, I would have to say that "I Gotta Get Drunk" is my favorite from this Oh Boy! Classic Album. If you close your eyes, it's like you are sitting in a club way back in the good ole days listening to a melody that was refreshing for its time. The beginning lines are perfect with "Well, I gotta get drunk and I sure do dread it, 'cause I know just what I'm gonna do." Later on, after the doctor says he should stop drinking, he makes up an excuse to continue with his addiction by saying "But there's more old drunks, than there are old doctors, so I guess I better have another round." There are many witty little lines like that in this song, and I enjoy tracking them down.

There are no backup singers to be found on Willie's version of Faron Young's famous hit, "Hello Walls" which was also written solely by Mr. Nelson. Instead of having other people sing the "Hello" parts, the feeling I get is that what is happening is a conversation between him and his guitar. He is telling the instrument about his troubles, much like some people would let out their feelings in a journal or diary. "I've got a feeling, she'll be gone a long long time," he sings at the end.

"Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away" could almost be a sequel to "Hello Walls," even though he is talking to a woman. This time there are soft sounding singers doing their background "Ooh's" and instead of him asking about how the woman's days went, you could say that now she asking about how he is doing this time around. Even though the hurt seems like it was just the other day, he says that he is doing fine and is pretty much over it. After the brief conversation he says "I gotta go now, don't know when I'll be back in town, but remember what I tell ya, in time you're gonna pay." The slow tempo really enhances the emotion contained inside the song.

"Night Life" has such a bluesy-jazz sound to it, there is no wonder it has been recorded by so many of the artists in that field of music. Even though the nightlife is not very safe it is what he has to live and deal with. There are many others just like him that dream about fame and fortune while listening to different kinds of music and getting a sense of where they want to go with their own.

On the same day of a breakup, "I'm Gonna Lose A Lotta Tear Drops" is what the man thinks will happen if he keeps on having the same kind of relationships as the one that just fizzled. He also thinks that there are rules to having a perfect one and he would like to have them so he will not end up being so teary and sad.

Though this album is a collection of Willie Nelson's most classic songs, it is always nice to listen and feel like you traveled through time and ended up back into the past. All fifteen songs serve as proof as to why this man has such a legion of fans and is one of the most celebrated people in music.

Song List:

  1. Crazy
  2. I Gotta Drunk
  3. Good Times
  4. Country Willie
  5. Hello Walls
  6. I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye
  7. Three Days
  8. Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away
  9. More Than One Way to Cry
  10. Pretty Paper
  11. Little Things
  12. A Broken Promise
  13. Night Life
  14. Healing Hands of Time
  15. I'm Gonna Lose a Lotta Tear Drops

Audio clips courtesy of Amazon.com
All graphics © Jennifer Webb, except the album cover, used with permission of Oh Boy Records.

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