It’s not the songwriting that’s at fault..just about every track is a great song here from Willie’s own classic “Sad Songs and Waltzes” to the cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird”. It’s not the Cardinals, Ryan Adams’ backing band, that fails: they do a nice tasteful job with what they’re given to do.

I’m laying most of the blame for the failure in Adams’ lap. Willie’s voice is one of nuance and subtlety. He shouldn’t be made to compete with guitars as he is on the Gram Parsons cover ”$1000 Wedding”. Again and again Nelson’s voice is mooshed down in the mix.

Willie has to take a bit of the blame, too, though. On the title track I can’t really find fault with the production since Nelson is front and center where he belongs but I just don’t hear any enthusiasm for the song in his voice. It’s as though he’s singing it because someone told him he needed to be “hip” and singing some pop/rock tracks would make him popular with “the kids” again.

I still love Willie (STARDUST and RED HEADED STRANGER are still among the best albums ever made in my book) and Adams but this CD won’t be making its way into my library.

Best tracks: “Songbird”,”Sad Songs and Waltzes”,”Hallelujah”