Willie Nelson: A Gift

GiftThe name Lefty Frizzell probably doesn't mean too much too many folks today. And really, if not for The Pizza Tapes from Garcia and Grisman, I'd probably have come upon the songbook of Frizzell much later. But that aside, the contributions to the stack of country standards from Frizzell is on par with songs from Hank Williams and the like.

During the '40s and '50s Frizzell was a part of the blossoming of country's initial commercial period. At that time, as opposed to now, songs weren't nonsensical retreads masquerading as stories from real life - they were real to life. To hear Merle Haggard sing about going to jail meant that he'd gone to jail. But the enormous catalog of Frizzell influenced a generation being raised on the radio, the Grand Ole Opry and traditional songs.

One of these folks was Willie Nelson. And somehow from some time during the very early '60s until now, Nelson has remained a vital part of American music. First gaining attention as a songwriter for everyone from Patsy Cline to some folks who have now fallen off the face of the earth, Nelson found his musical acumen to be as strong as anyone's that he encountered. Industry success, though, is generally separate from that. But after briefly quitting music to work as a pig farmer, he returned to country music in the '70s and unleashed a string of albums as influential as anything from the decade in any genre.

From 1973 through 1979, Nelson released no less than ten albums, toured constantly and become a vociferous supporter of the reformation of marijuana laws. And somehow, all of these things worked in concert together in making Nelson an enormous star. Never forgetting his past - or his fandom - Nelson, in 1977 - recorded an entire album of Lefty Frizzell songs as the supreme act of flattery.

Frizzell's biggest hit - "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" - is obviously represented. And even if, at times, that song can come across as a bit too sappy, the version Nelson set to tape here really is void of that for the most part. The majority of the tracks selected for To Lefty, From Willie are largely focused on interpersonal relationships - but so is most music.

The musical settings for all of these pieces is a bit stripped down even from the Frizzell versions. But true to form, Nelson renders most of these songs in a traditional manner. While he's associated with the outlaw country movement of the mid '70s, Nelson always seemed somehow detached from Kris Kristofferson and his ilk. It might be due to Nelson's diminutive stature - and at this late date, the much aged singer doesn't really carry the same sort of bad-guy cache that his brethren still do. But out of that cohort of singers and songwriters, Nelson might be the most gifted musically. And if anyone ever feels the need to hear a liltingly sweet acoustic guitar solo, it's here for you. Of course, this disc of covers might not be the best place to begin when examining Nelson's career, but it grants listeners ample insight into where he came from - musically at least.