About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

Culled from Willie Nelson's 2004 USA Network live special, Outlaws and Angels preserves most of the performances from the broad range of artists who turned up to celebrate the Red-Headed Stranger's 70th birthday (Bob Dylan is conspicuous by his absence). The best moments here are with another country giant, the simpatico Merle Haggard, who is in splendid, earthy voice on four classic cuts and is joined by Toby Keith on "Ramblin' Fever," "Pancho and Lefty," and "Mama Tried." Al Green joins the festivities for a ferocious, gospel-fired treatment of "Rainin' in My Heart," while Shelby Lynne steps up for a bluesy reading of a sparse, slow-boiling "Stormy Weather." With her heartrending vocal, Carole King helps to turn her own "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" into a blues-tinged ballad. Reggae and country are fused when Toots Hibbert finds the mellow groove in Willie's "Still Is Still Moving to Me" and returns for a percolating take on his own scintillating "Pressure Drop." Nelson and Lee Ann Womack render "I'll Never Be Free" as an aching country torch song, with a moaning pedal steel and a honky-tonk piano supporting the atmosphere. On Willie's "Opportunity to Cry," the Holmes Brothers give an object lesson in gritty R&B balladry, while Maxine and Julia Waters (who are part of the background chorus throughout) lend urgent gospel cries to a gripping performance. Lucinda Williams and Willie team up for a gorgeous, winsome duet on her piercing ballad "Overtime," but Keith Richards almost steals the show with his acoustic guitar and grizzled vocal on the country ballad "We Had It All." The generous, genre-spanning lineup of collaborators makes Outlaws and Angels a solid entry in Willie's formidable catalogue. David McGee, Barnes & Noble

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