Willie Nelson - Songbird

I haven't had any blogs about a CD I'm in love with for awhile. Leave it to Willie to inspire me to write about my love of music. His latest release, called "Songbird" has a vrey different feel than his last couple albums. COMPLETELY different than the reggae album he put out a couple years ago. He has a couple new songs on this, but what has really grabbed my attention is the covers he's done.

There is a beautiful version of Grateful Dead's "Stella Blue." His soft voice is a great compliment to the song that Jerry sang so sweetly so many years ago. The title track is origianlly a Fleetwood Mac song. I had no idea that he had redone that song....even with it being the title track. I never made the connection until I heard it. Even then, he has made it his own, just like everything he does, and it took me a minute to realize it was the same song.

The CD has a rather dark feeling to it. I think I feel that way mainly because of the version of Amazing Grace that he does. He sings it in a minor key...my ear isn't sharp enough to know exactly what key it's in, but it is spellbinding. It is also the closing song which seems very appropriate. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but after hearing it again, I am in love. That song always gives me chills anyway, and now with Willie's new twist on it, it seems to touch my soul more deeply than ever.

Willie also did a couple new versions of some of his older songs. He has a very elegant version of “Sad Songs and Waltzes” that captures your heart as you listen.

Ryan Adams produced the album, and I think his work shows through Willie in some of the songs chosen for this project. I read in an album review that the songs "Stella Blue" and "Songbird" were both suggested by Ryan. I have a couple of his albums that I really enjoy, but I've enjoyed the albums he has produced for other artists even more. He an Willie made a stellar team with this. I hope to hear more from Willie like this somewhere down the line.