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By Glyn Edwards, Saturday 6th August 2005 06.59am (303 views)
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Musical stereotyping would struggle to attribute any other male artist to tthe ‘country’ genre than Willie Nelson, and the Stetson, neckerchief and tied back ponytail are as representative of his seasoned image as the marijuana leaf is to the reggae world. ‘Countryman’, Nelson’s new release, subsequently catches a listener off guard in a bold change of approach that seeks to unify the pair.
The notion of Willie Nelson attempting reggae pleads for an entirely objective audience and implores of a conscious effort to avoid judgement throughout; however, as soon as the steel stringed guitar introduces Nelson’s gravel voice ten seconds into the opening track, it becomes apparent how difficult it is to wipe clean a slate that has half of century of countrified lyrics etched upon it.
‘Countryman’ is not so much a concept album as it an experiment of musical diversification, a cynical view may even utter the phrase ‘marketing re-branding’, but Nelson’s drawling voice is so distinctively suited to one musical niche that it sounds purely alien to an otherwise successful formula of calypso bass, sassy backing and accessible lyrics. At no point is this more audible during the album than in ‘I’m A Worried Man’ when Nelson’s vocals are accompanied by Toots Hibbert, where, rather than diluting the county edge to the track, Hibbert’s traditional Caribbean voice dominates and departs all too quickly.
Similarly, two Jimmy Cliff tracks, ‘The Harder They Come’ and ‘Sitting In Limbo’, feature outstanding lyrics; whereas ‘One In A Row’ opens with a drum and organ intro any reggae artist would pray to have written.
Willie Nelson’s musical pedigree is though unquestionable and will outlive any misplaced creative experimentation, and it deserves note this album does retain a polished feel throughout and almost induces a genuinely obscure satisfaction. It cannot be ignored however that Nelson’s voice, and to some extent an overawing steel guitar, hampers an otherwise exceptional reggae album and through the three minute eternity ‘I’ve Just Destroyed The World’ you get the feeling ‘Countryman’ may yet come close. |
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