Willie Nelson — American Classic

Leave it to the historians at Blue Note to remind us Willie Nelson is an American classic.

This disc is billed as the follow-up to 1978's Stardust and is another album of jazz standards, sung in a country-folk style and played by jazz musicians. But where Stardust came out of nowhere, American Classic feels overdue.

There are some nice surprises. Diana Krall kills her part in "If I Had You," "Because Of You" has a mean sax solo and the Norah Jones duet, "Baby It's Cold Outside," is both the most recognizable and repeatable track.

The red-headed stranger himself tends to fade to the background, which is fine. Nelson was always about the song and accompaniment, not so much the vocal performance. It's his lack of pretension that makes American Classic so inviting.

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