WILLIE NELSONAmerican Classic
(Blue Note)
*** 1/2 (out of 5)
American Classic is Willie Nelson’s semi-official sequel to his great 1978 album Stardust: once again he interprets a dozen standards from the Great American Songbook — although, of course, the album’s title equally refers to Nelson himself, whose warm, gentle, conversational tenor is one of the most timeless voices in all of American pop music. But where Stardust was a daring stylistic departure for Nelson — indeed, for any country star — American Classic, with Diana Krall and Norah Jones contributing guest vocals and Tommy LiPuma (who won a Grammy for Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable) in the producer’s chair, feels like much less of an artistic stretch or a commercial risk.
That doesn’t make it any less pleasant to listen to, even if none of Nelson’s takes on these familiar songs (“Fly Me to the Moon,” “Angel Eyes,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “On the Street Where You Live”) is likely to be thought of as the definitive version. (That said, he does inject “Always on My Mind” with a real feeling of heartbreak.) If anything about American Classic is destined for classic status, it might be Danny Clinch’s gorgeous photos in the CD booklet contrasting Nelson’s comfy-looking black tuxedo with the texture of his waist-length red hair.
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