CD: Willie Nelson & Family "Honeysuckle Rose" (Columbia/Legacy)

Willie Nelson & Family "Honeysuckle Rose" (Columbia/Legacy)

This is certainly one of the more unusual items in Nelson's storied album 
catalog. Nominally a soundtrack to the 1980 film in which Nelson starred, 
this is actually a live set of Nelson and several friends. Recorded in front 
of an enthusiastic (but polite) audience, it provides Nelson a chance to 
revisit many of his chestnuts ("On the Road Again" "Pick Up the Tempo" 
"Bloody Mary Morning" "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground") and several 
songs closely associated with him ("Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" "Whiskey 
River"). Nelson and his band are loose and energized by each other and the 
crowd, taking well-known songs in new directions. The mood is that of a 
bunch of talented musicians passing around the guitar, rather than a formal, 
orchestrated concert.

In addition to Nelson's fine performances, the disc features excellent work 
from one time Texas Playboy fiddler Johnny Gimble (his "Fiddlin' Around" 
swings effortlessly), as well as Nelson's guitarist Jody Payne singing a 
harmonica-fueled version of Merle Haggard's "Working Man Blues." Also in 
attendance (and lured out of the audience) is famed Nashville songwriter 
Hank Cochran who sings his own "I Don't Do Windows" and "Make the World Go 
Away." Emmylou Harris performs a magnificent star-turn on Nelson and 
Cochran's "So You Think You're a Cowboy" and duets beautifully with Nelson 
on Rodney Crowell's "Angel Eyes."

Actress Dyan Cannon duets with Nelson on both "Loving You Was Easier (Than 
Anything I'll Ever Do Again)" and "Uncloudy Day," and flies solo for 
Nelson's "Two Sides of Every Story." No one would mistake her for a 
top-notch country singer (at times she over-emotes like Nancy Sinatra, at 
other times she sounds like Mary Kay Place), but she acquits herself 
reasonably well. Amy Irving also gets into the act, duetting with Nelson on 
Kris Kristofferson's "You Show Me Yours (And I'll Show You Mine)," and 
soloing on Nelson's "If You Want Me to Love You I Will." The latter, omitted 
from the original CD release, isn't a showstopper, but its rarity makes it 
an interesting addition to Nelson's catalog.

In contrast to traditional live albums such as "Willie and Family Live," 
this disc provides a sense of what it's like to ride the bus with Willie 
Nelson. Great songs, great singers, and a great time. Columbia/Legacy's 
remastering is balanced and sharp, with the audience blended so as not to be 
distracting. The bonus unreleased tracks (Nelson's "Yesterday's Wine" and a 
speedy take of "Good Hearted Woman") are nice additions, but nearly 
overwhelming as they extend the disc to 78:26. Jonny Whiteside's liner notes 
are long on admiration for Nelson, but short on details about the recording 
or film from which it sprang.

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