Willie Nelson is the first country musician to receive Gershwin prize, awarded by the Library of Congress. Those who are familiar with his career know that there is no living artist who deserves this award more than he does. Willie is one of the last standing artists from the golden age of traditional American music.
Before Willie became everyone’s favorite long-haired hippie, he had several evergreens in his portfolio that were made famous by other singers, such as Night Life, Crazy and Hello Walls. Those were hand-made songs of the great master influenced by the legendary Tin Pan Alley school. Gershwin brothers were one of the most famous representatives of that school.
Willie wanted to show gratitude, so he gathered his band The Family and started recording Gershwin brothers cover songs. The result is Summertime: Willie Nelson sings Gershwin. It is very similar to Let’s Face the Music and Dance from 2013, another cover album by Willie Nelson.
What you will find here is warm, soft jazz-blues-swing created by the pedals of steel guitars, contrabass and Wurlitzer’s electric piano. There are some differences, since the arrangements are a bit dense, so there is no space for Willie’s eponymous Trigger (demonstration of his kunst of acoustic guitar playing). Anyhow, recognizable combination of laconic style and impressive music skill is still there.
Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off features Cyndi Lauper, while Embraceable You sees Sheryl Crow as a guest. It Ain’t Necessarily So is the atmospheric blues number and it stands as the pinnacle of the whole collection. My second favorite is the title track that closes the album in the manner of tango.
Summertime is not a grandiose message. It is just another masterpiece by a vital 83-year old pot-smoking youngster. Willie Nelson is the evidence that there is something very healthy in the unconventional lifestyle.
