Elsewhere, though, Nelson takes a breezy approach to such fare as “The Nearness Of You,” “Fly Me To The Moon,” and “Come Rain Or Come Shine.” Equally easy on the ears are “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “I Miss You So,” and “Because Of You.” Raphael’s harmonica enlivens an otherwise brooding “Angel Eyes” and a bluesy “Since I Fell For You,” before proceedings wrap up with another take on “You Were Always On My Mind,” a track Nelson recorded previously with great success.
Indeed, everything here is impeccable, from Nelson’s easy-going drawl to Mandel’s elegant arrangements. The core trio – pianist Joe Sample, bassist Christian McBride, and drummer Lewis Nash – is augmented by Krall’s guitarist, Anthony Wilson, all players of the highest calibre. And while Nelson’s nasally quaver might not seem, on paper, an ideal fit for the elegance on display – cold beer in champagne company – he’s enough of a singer, and enough of an icon, to make it all work surprisingly well.
Though it’s nowhere near as groundbreaking as Stardust (both an artistic and commercially risky proposition at the time), this is a thoroughly satisfying collection. Nelson has become an ‘American classic’ himself, and the material here represents some of the finest songwriting of the 20th century. Nelson has nothing left to prove, and he approaches these songs as familiar old friends. Approach the disc in the same way, and it’s simply as good as it gets.
Article comments
1 - jazz
Jazz music was born is America and it still is one of their most representative form of art.
2 - R.P.M.
Fantastic. I was looking to review this as I got a copy of the album almost 2 months before release, but dropped the ball on it getting caught up chasing my tail.
It's a very solid album and I am equally if not more impressed by the fact he was able to tour so hard with Dylan. At 73 years old to be on the road day after day is pretty amazing.