Willie Nelson and Friends: Live and Kickin' [Live]

Amazon.com
The great Willie Nelson tends to either thrill or sorely disappoint, depending on the kinds of projects he takes on--and his decision to be either a musician or a celebrity. This live recording, culled from his 2003 USA Network concert event, unfortunately falls into the latter category, and Nelson sounds as if he arrived just before show time and plunged in without rehearsing. On the album’s opener, "I Didn't Come Here (And I Ain't Leavin')," almost everything is wrong--the chorines, the overwhelming bigness of the production, and most troublesome, Nelson's apparent indifference. Thereafter, the program pairs him with such natural duet partners as Toby Keith and Ray Price, and such utterly unfathomable ones as Steven Tyler and Wyclef Jean, who prove, by turns, unlistenable and insufferable. While Diana Krall and Elvis Costello help give "Crazy" an odd and new kind of charm, Nelson's off-beat phrasing is just to quirky to work with Paul Simon's laconic musings ("Homeward Bound"), while the outing with Ray Charles and Leon Russell ("A Song for You") sounds like a cat-drowning ceremony. Weirdly, the best songs are those on which Nelson simply gets out of the way (John Mellencamp's bottleneck romp through "I Couldn't Believe It Was True," Kenny Chesney's soulful treatment of "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning"). Thank God it's only a single disc. --Alanna Nash

Tracks:

I Didn't Come Here, I'm Not Leavin' - Willie Nelson
Nightlife - Willie & Eric Clapton
Blue Eyes Cryin' in the Rain - Willie & Shania Twain
Homeward Bound - Willie & Paul Simon
Beer For My Horses - Willie & Toby Keith
Crazy - Willie, Diana Krall & Elvis Costello
To All the Girls I've Loved Before - Willie & Wyclef Jean
Wurlitzer Prize - Willie & Norah Jones
She Loves My Automobile - Willie & ZZ Top
Angel Flyin' to Close to the Ground - Willie & Shelby Lynne
A Song For You - Willie, Ray Charles, Leon Russell
I Could Not Believe It Was True - Willie & John Mellencamp
The Last Thing I Needed - Willie & Kenny Chesney
Run That By Me One More Time - Willie & Ray Price
One Time Too Many - Willie & Steven Tyler

Amazon.com

The great Willie Nelson tends to either thrill or sorely disappoint, depending on the kinds of projects he takes on--and his decision to be either a musician or a celebrity. This live recording, culled from his 2003 USA Network concert event, unfortunately falls into the latter category, and Nelson sounds as if he arrived just before show time and plunged in without rehearsing. On the album's opener, "I Didn't Come Here (And I Ain't Leavin')," almost everything is wrong--the chorines, the overwhelming bigness of the production, and most troublesome, Nelson's apparent indifference. Thereafter, the program pairs him with such natural duet partners as Toby Keith and Ray Price, and such utterly unfathomable ones as Steven Tyler and Wyclef Jean, who prove, by turns, unlistenable and insufferable. While Diana Krall and Elvis Costello help give "Crazy" an odd and new kind of charm, Nelson's off-beat phrasing is just to quirky to work with Paul Simon's laconic musings ("Homeward Bound"), while the outing with Ray Charles and Leon Russell ("A Song for You") sounds like a cat-drowning ceremony. Weirdly, the best songs are those on which Nelson simply gets out of the way (John Mellencamp's bottleneck romp through "I Couldn't Believe It Was True," Kenny Chesney's soulful treatment of "Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning"). Thank God it's only a single disc. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews:

Too much "friends," not enough Willie.......2006-05-13

Very few keepers on this one ... even "Crazy" and "Last Thing I Needed the First Thing This Morning" were (almost) disappointments because there was so little of Willie.

The legend singing it with friends.......2005-04-29

Willie Nelson is a legend and this CD proves it again. here are performances of a great artist who's enjoying his music with some of the great talents of today. it's great listening to great friends of Willie interpreting his music in their own ways. I think it's a great album giving us great music we all know in a little different and up to date way. enjoy!!!

Willie sings with anyone and everyone.......2004-06-30

Let me say upfront that I love Willie Nelson, and I believe him to be a national treasure and one of our greatest living storytellers/poets. The setting for this recording is Willie's 70th birthday. As Toby Keith mentioned on the original USA television version, "Willie may not look 70, but we sure remember when he did."

What makes this CD unique is that it features a very eclectic mix of musicians accompanying Willie in versions of popular songs (both his and theirs). The songs with Paul Simon, Eric Clapton and Ray Charles/Leon Russell provide entertaining performances that are also important moments in music history. It would be like having a recording of Lennon and Hendrix singing together.

Willie has recorded with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Janis Joplin. So, it is not a surprise that some of his guests on this CD may seem strange (Steven Tyler and Wyclef Jean). While many say his voice doesn't work with more polished singers, I think he provides an interesting contrast to the silky vocals of Norah Jones and Dianne Krall.

There seems to be a common theme among the positive and negative reviews on here: the positive reviews contain references to the television broadcast that proceeded the release of this CD and the negative ones do not. This seems to suggest the experience of listening to the music is heightened by viewing the live performances, and I agree.

Still Kickin', Nelson remains constantly on tour........2004-03-07

Recorded over a Two-day period and originally aired on the USA network last Memorial Day, Live and Kickin' shows Willie Nelson at the top of his career. He is joined onstage by Eric Clapton, Ray Charles, Wyclef Jean, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, and ZZ Top to name a few. The album is a plethora of musical exploration, showing different sides of Nelson as a musician, and proving that he is as dynamic as they come. He appeals to diehard country fans, but Homeward Bound with Paul Simon is closer to folk, and To All The Girl's I Loved Before with Wyclef is more along the lines of Reggae. The solo tracks could only be described as haunting and tortured in a twangy sort of way. The immense crowds' reaction hangs on to every one of his words, honoring him like the accomplished road-veteran he is.

not bad.......2004-01-17

This isnt bad, but I heard it at the same time as Johnny Cash's last album and thought that one had more heart. I was also listening to David Allan Coe's Live From Billy Bob's and thought that one had more energy. Willie seems watered down here by all the guests.

Music Album:

Music Album