Willie Nelson
Countryman
Lost Highway Records
by Kevin J. Hosey
OK, we all had a laugh or two (or 20) when we first heard Willie Nelson had recorded and planned to release a CD based on and around reggae music and songs, with his well-known propensity to light up a joint every now and then; indeed, the CD cover has a marijuana plant in the middle and the colors are suspiciously reminiscent of Rastafarian colors. But Countryman, the CD in question, is actually much better than at least I had any reason to believe it would be; while I wouldn't want Nelson to permanently change his musical path to reggae, you can tell that not only is he enjoying himself, but that he was smart enough to allow some country flavor to come to the forefront. This is apparent from the start, as "Do You Mind too Much If I Don't Understand?" has a pretty decent reggae rhythm section and scratchy guitar countered by some good steel guitar from Robby Turner as Nelson sings of his confusion over why his woman betrayed and left him. "You Left Me a Long, Long Time Ago" is a blend of a mid-tempo country waltz and bouncing reggae with Nelson noting that while his woman may now be officially telling him she is finished with him, he knew she was gone years ago; "One in a Row" has some nice country twang to the guitar and Nelson ruefully noting that he isn't impressed with her alleged changes/reforms. "The Harder They Come" is a nice cover of Jimmy Cliff's classic song, its slow and soft acoustic guitar and dobro from Turner nice touches, and "Something to Think About" is basically rock-flavored reggae and another vehicle for Nelson's heartbreak and resignation. "How Long Is Forever" has a dreamy steel guitar introduction before turning into slower (stoned) reggae as Nelson expresses his suspicion that her leaving this time is for real. Willie duets with Toots Hibbert (Toots and the Maytalls) on the trials and tribulations tale "I'm a Worried Man."
Drums & Tuba
Battles Ole
Righteous Babe Records
by Kevin J. Hosey
The progress over the last few years in the sound of Drums & Tuba, very descriptive of the band's approach, is apparent in the expanded instrumentation (saxophone, organ and French horn) and the fact that drummer Tony Nozero sings on several songs. The former deserves more attention than the latter; while the singing is often an interesting counterpoint, it remains secondary to the frequently excellent instrumental playing; on the CD opener, "Two Dollars," echoey washes are first joined by percussion that seems to be influenced by Tom Waits before scratchy, funky guitar from Neil McKeeby and stark, often rolling drumming from Nozero take over. McKeeby steps out front with some wah-wah guitar before the song returns to dreamy and Brian Wolff lends some tuba melody on this tour de force as Nozero sings about money, greed, etc. As the title states, "Epic" is just that, dreamy at times, funky at others and even led by skronky guitar at times, a really good song that is more horn oriented that most, with Wolff playing tuba and trumpet while Ben Ellman adds some saxophone. "Four Notes of April" is also diverse, with interesting percussion and choppy, rhythmic guitar that later sounds more chiming. It is hard to tell what Nozero is singing about, but it doesn't matter much when a nice, soft trumpet passage by Wolff is followed by some good, frenzied guitar work by McKeeby. Elsewhere, "El Tubador" is actually a wild guitar and saxophone workout, with McKeeby laying down some nice chicken scratch rhythm guitar when not playing lead, and "If I Die" is mostly spacey prog rock with some funk and alt-rock sounds. Producer Andrew "Goat" Gilchrist does a good job capturing the band's apparent live-in-studio sound, allowing things to breathe and not become sterile.