Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers

by Willie Nelson
Band of Brothers

Band of Brothers

by Willie Nelson

CD

$9.99 
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Overview

Willie Nelson has been a prolific singer and recording artist since the 1970s, but the songwriter who penned hits for Ray Price, Patsy Cline, Billy Walker, and Johnny Cash, among others, hasn't issued an album of predominantly original material since 1996. Band of Brothers ends the drought. Its 14 selections include nine new songs by Nelson (with producer Buddy Cannon) and a handful of fine covers. Opener "Bring It On" is a honky tonk waltz that offers wisdom by someone who has lived through plenty as he looks eternity squarely in the eye. He is in excellent voice as Mickey Raphael's harmonica moans to underscore his lyric. Nelson delivers his first guitar solo on Trigger (his nylon-stringed instrument). His playing, with its unique phrasing, has always been underrated and here it evokes the blues. His love songs have always been highlights in his catalog. "I Thought I Left You" is in 4/4, with a slow processional pace adorned with slippery steel and piano. The lost romance portrayed in the waltz "Send Me a Picture" is another clear standout; a sighing pedal steel and Raphael's mid-register wail echo every sung line. Nelson can still write first-rate, irreverent barroom tunes as well. "Wives and Girlfriends" is a swaggering honky tonker, with wiseass lines and a punchy groove. The title track is a midtempo full-band anthem that celebrates the itinerant musician's life. (It pairs thematically with a righteous cover of Bill Anderson's "The Songwriters.") The choogling Western swing he employs in "Used to Her" updates not only Bob Wills, but Ray Benson. "The Wall" is a killer confessional, though in its rear-view mirror reflections, fueled by a strolling Rhodes piano, Travis-style guitars, and a two-step bassline, it's also a road song. Nelson covers two tunes by Billy Joe Shaver. "Hard to Be an Outlaw" is a wry, midtempo minor-key spaghetti Western-esque blues with a great guitar break from Willie, while "The Git Go," another bluesy number, is a slow rocking duet with Jamey Johnson. "Crazy Like Me," by Shawn Camp and Billy Burnette, is an update of trucker country rockabilly that sets up the closer, the original "I've Got a Lot of Traveling to Do." It's been 40 years since Nelson gave us "On the Road Again." This is a companion in a sense, less celebratory, more weathered and ornery, but no less restless. Cannon's production here recalls the memory of Nelson's early to mid-'70s records without being slavishly devoted to sounding retro. Phase-shifted and wide-open electric guitars, clean, whining pedal steel, warm and natural shuffling drums, acoustic pianos, organ, and electric basses paint these songs beautifully. On Band of Brothers, Nelson reminds us that no matter the iconic place he occupies in American popular music as a vocal stylist, he is a classic country singer and songwriter first. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date: 06/17/2014
Label: Legacy / Sony Legacy
UPC: 0888430192126
Rank: 100018

Tracks

  1. Bring It On
  2. Guitar in the Corner
  3. The Wall
  4. Whenever You Come Around
  5. Wives and Girlfriends
  6. I Thought I Left You
  7. Send Me a Picture
  8. Used to Her
  9. The Git Go
  10. Band of Brothers
  11. Hard to Be an Outlaw
  12. Crazy Like Me
  13. The Songwriters
  14. I've Got a Lot of Traveling to Do

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Willie Nelson   Primary Artist
Jamey Johnson   Primary Artist,Guest Artist
Kevin Grantt   Bass (Upright)
Bobby Terry   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
Mickey Raphael   Harmonica
Jim "Moose" Brown   Piano,Wurlitzer,Synthesizer
Tommy White   Guitar (Steel)
Lonnie Wilson   Drums
Eddie Bayers   Drums
Mike Johnson   Guitar (Steel)

Technical Credits

Billy Joe Shaver   Composer
Billy Burnette   Composer
Gary Nicholson   Composer
Dennis Morgan   Composer
Vince Gill   Composer
Buddy Cannon   Composer,Producer
Willie Nelson   Composer,Producer
Butch Carr   Mixing
Andrew Mendelson   Mastering
Tony Castle   Engineer
Pete Wasner   Composer
Neal Cappellino   Engineer
Gordie Sampson   Composer
Jacob Sciba   Assistant Engineer
Frank Harkins   Design,Art Direction
James Minchin   Photography
Natthaphol Abhigantaphand   Mixing Assistant
Gordon Hammond   Engineer
Daniel Bacigalupi   Mixing Assistant
Shannon Finnegan   Production Coordination
Edward "Jewfro" Lidow   Assistant Engineer
Casey Contreary   Assistant Engineer
Mike Stankiewicz   Assistant Engineer
Derek Parnell   Assistant Engineer
Adam Grover   Mixing Assistant
Ernesto Olvera   Assistant Engineer
Jesse Snider   Assistant Engineer
Shawn Camp   Composer
Bill Anderson   Composer
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