As I write this, it's the Fourth of July 2006, late afternoon. It's dark and rainy in Dallas, with predictions of heavier rain to come. North Korea, in an extreme case of penis envy, is flexing their might by firing off long range missiles and CNN is lapping it up. And me, I'm listening to Willie Nelson belting out "Whiskey River." It seems apropos, in a weltschmerz sort of way.

Willie Nelson, when all is said and done, expresses a world weariness that strikes a universal chord among anybody who has ever heard him. Nowhere is this more evident than in The Complete Atlantic Recordings. It's pointless, thirty years-plus after the fact to attempt to dissect Shotgun Willie (sure, it was over-produced for the time), or Phases and Stages (country's first concept album) — hindsight is always 20/20. And despite what latter-day critics are fond of saying, Willie Nelson did not reinvent country with those two albums — he merely returned it to its rightful roots — the Texas honky-tonk that nurtured it.

That is by no means intended to detract from the significance of those two albums — quite the contrary. What Willie (some icons you just have to refer to by their first name) did on those two albums was revolutionary at the time. He broke free from a bloated Nashville establishment which was content to be a parody of itself, took his jazz and blues infused music with him, and set it free in the rolling hills of Austin. This was no easy feat, and without the aid of legendary producer Jerry Wexler (of Aretha Franklin fame), it's doubtful whether he could have pulled it off. Pull it off he did, though, and thus was born Country Outlaw.

But it's on the previously unreleased Live at the Texas Opry House Willie Nelson proves himself as a performer and vindicates his desertion from Nashville. This is Texas honky-tonk at its best, centerpieced by a kick-ass rendition of "Bloody Mary Morning" that would do Bob Wills proud. It's not urban cowboy stuff — it is the real thing. We Texans have always had an affinity for fusing music genres into something distinctly, well, Texan and Willie epitomizes the fondness like no other.

Willie's affiliation with Atlantic was short-lived, but it produced two classic albums. The Complete Atlantic Sessions pays fitting tribute not only to the affiliation but to the man who single-handedly made Austin the American capital of all things cool. It's a handsome boxed set, packaged like a box of fine cigars. It's filled with anecdotes, outtakes, alternative versions, and perhaps most importantly, a slice of American pop culture that has become an integral part of our history.

But back to the present. Yesterday, Willie bought the Abbot Methodist Church. Why? Willie is a native of Abbot, Texas and the old Methodist church is where he first sang as a child. He just couldn't stand to see it demolished. History is too important. As I write, it's still dreary outside, but Willie's music, tinged with melancholy as it is, gives me hope that we'll get through it. Next door in Fort Worth, Willie is presiding over his 33rd Fourth of July picnic.

Yeah, we'll be alright....