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Willie Nelson, Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Smith, 2004) |
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Willie Nelson, Live at Billy Bob's Texas (Smith, 2004) |
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This two-disc set is one of a series under the colophon Live at Billy Bob's Texas; this particular show was captured Oct. 30, 2003. The production on the disc is clean, both visually and aurally, and pretty straightforward in presentation, which matches well with the musical approach of the star of the piece, Willie Nelson.
The set hits the ground running with an uptempo "Whiskey River," which folds seamlessly into "Stay All Night." The medley is completed by a swift and tight rendition of "Good-Hearted Woman." The second three-song medley marries "Funny How Time Slips Away" with a particularly stream-of-consciousness spoken version of "Crazy" and a relatively quieter "Night Life." Bobbie Nelson's keyboards propel the instrumental "Down Yonder," and Payne takes a vocal turn on the old Merle Haggard standard "Workin' Man's Blues," giving way to a particularly strong read of "Help Me Make It Through the Night" featuring some exceptional guitar work by Nelson. The Kristofferson classic "Me & Bobby McGee" is given standard Willie treatment, and the perils of life on the road are explored in the painfully autobiographical "Me & Paul," documenting the early hell-raising of both the singer and the man on the snare drum, Paul English. We then race through several tunes, including a strong harp performance by Raphael on "Blue Skies," and arrive at the centerpiece of the set, a soulful "Georgia on My Mind," which must have Ray Charles smiling somewhere. The obligatory "Mommas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" receives an enthusiastic reception, and is followed by an especially restrained read of the love ballad "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground." Keyboards return to the fore on "Always on My Mind," and "Seven Spanish Angels" suffers in comparison to the original (as other versions inevitably must). The next several songs are merely the setup for a rousing three-song set embracing some newer material, including "Still is Still Movin' to Me" and the recent Toby Keith tune "Beer for My Horses" divided by a swing version of Van Zandt's "Pancho & Lefty." After raising the roof with that triad, the final song in the set is "The Great Divide," a rather elegiac reflection on life and love and loss. It is an interesting song for a closer, but then again, folks could easily go broke trying to predict the musical whims of Mr. Nelson. This, then, is Willie Nelson Live at Billy Bob's Texas. The concert is a good one, and a strong addition to Willie's body of work. Watch it soon with an outlaw you love.... by Gilbert Head |
We all know that, while Nelson has never been a very charismatic showman in concert (no one has ever expected a dynamic Springsteen-style performance from him), he was always able to deliver the goods. Yet all through this live, 20-song disc, Nelson sounds as if he's barely awake. His vocals are below par. Too many times he lazily "speak sings" the lyrics. This is especially noticeable on more familiar material such as "All of Me," "Blue Skies" and "On the Road Again." His guitar playing is atonal, too. And, throughout the entire performance, his axe work sounds as unmelodic as his singing. The bonus live DVD that comes with the CD doesn't add anything at all. We've all heard better Nelson than Live at Billy Bob's Texas and I hope we will again. Perhaps it was just an off night and not an indication that Nelson's best days are behind him. by Charlie Ricci  Click on a cover image to make a selection. (CD on the left, DVD on the right.) |
