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Willie Nelson’s new CD, “Naked Willie,” is a trip back in time. The songs are not new, but a distillation of the music from a much earlier period in Nelson’s career. In the 1960s, Nelson began recording for RCA Records in Nashville. The albums he recorded during this time often included orchestra arrangements and background vocals – obscuring Nelson’s wonderful voice. Nelson and friend, Mickey Raphael have now taken these old recording and stripped them down to make them cleaner and “naked.” The result is a 17-track disk featuring a young singer/songwriter, Willie Nelson. You can hear the beginning of his famous style and twang, that makes his recordings instantly recognizable--songs like “The Party’s Over” and “Happiness Lives Next Door.”
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There are several songs that were not included on albums, like the great single “Bring Me Sunshine” and some as little played tracks on previous albums. Unfortunately, a few f the songs sound more like they should be sung by a lounge singer instead of a country legend – like “Bring Me Sunshine,” but there are few of these and they are still part of the Nelson history. “Naked Willie” should be part of every true Nelson fan’s collection, even if it’s just to see how far he’s come in his music. The pictures of a very young Nelson included in the album booklet (sans braids) are also worth thumbing through! |
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