Corey

Sharek

 

There are two things that were never previously considered together in a record: Pedal steel and reggae.  But then again, two things that may have never been considered previously were Willie Nelson and reggae.  Well, Countryman starts with both of those.

This review was quite a challenge in that I have always respected Willie, but more or less stopped listening to anything new of his after that abominable duet with Julio Iglesias in 1984.  So fast-forward 21 years, and here I am rolling down the road skankin’ to Willie.  In a previous life, I played in a Ska and Reggae band.  So for me to have this CD to review was such a mixed blessing.  Ironically a decade ago when this record was being made was the height this genre of music.  But it took Willie until now to finally release it.  I cannot imagine the splash it could have made had it hit shelves in 1995/96.  But I guess the true testament is that today it sounds fresh and nonpareil.

Ladies and gentlemen - let me tell you right here and now that this is one of the few ways a record should sound.  It’s spacious, but rich; clear, but warm; the drums just sing, the vocals are wonderfully percussive, and the rest of the instrumentation was perfectly picked for each application.  The ska fan in me adores the tones and playing on this record; the Americana fan in me appreciates that an established artist is stretching so far without being gimmicky.

That, and did I mention it JAMS!  Again, two concepts that you’d never put in the same sentence: Willie Nelson and jams.  But it does.

It all starts with “Do You Mind Too Much If I Don’t Understand.” A warm and inviting opener with the aforementioned steel guitar moaning on the side stage. Nicely produced with nice sonic artifacts placed throughout, there’s ample use of good delays and texture effects.

“How Long Is Forever” picks up where the previous leaves off.  Rounder drums this time, but still the steel prevails.

“Worried Man” is the song that brought this album to a radio Program Director’s attention. Featuring Toots Hibbert, a touted architect of reggae first hitting the scene in 1968 with this band the Maytals, this track owns. Willie’s nylon string strumming and crisp drums as well as dub-bass drive this song straight into your head.

“The Harder They Come” is classic Willie until the dense harmony vocals come in bearing heavy Caribbean accents.  Then gently the dobro enters, making this track feel very unique. There’s some interesting percussion, mixed with shanty-like concertina that really adds something different than we’re used to.

Yeah, Mon! “Something to Think About” just moves. ‘Nuff said. This and the next 5 tracks just make you want to roll the windows down, put on your Rasta headgear and cruise your local boulevard…Irie!

This disc is concluded with a song that I would have never released.  From a production standpoint, drums will almost always make or break the track. The drums that roll us into the first verse of “Undo The Right” are so lousy at first glance, that in my mind, the Casio keyboard they came from should be smashed to bits.  Then the song takes shape.  The shakers carry the rhythm, the phased and panned steel are so cool that I am sure my initial reaction was wrong on all counts.  This is a supreme case example of the cover not telling the contents of the pages and/or the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

It has taken me way too long to get this review together.  The reason being is that I have not wanted to spoil the sweetness of this piece by over analyzing it.  My advice to you?  Pop it in, soak it up, savor each taste and don’t over think this one; it’s purely entertainment.

Grade: B+

Corey Sharek, December 2005

Track List:
1. Do You Mind Too Much If I Don't Understand
2. How Long Is Forever
3. I'm A Worried Man
4. The Harder They Come
5. Something To Think About
6. Sitting In Limbo
7. Darkness On The Face Of The Earth
8. One In A Row
9. I've Just Destroyed The World
10. You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago
11. I Guess I've Come To Live Here
12. Undo The Right

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