Austin360 blogs > Bottlecaps & Wingnuts > Archives > 2005 > July > 19 > Entry
Fried chicken and reggae
Came home from work on Friday night to find a surprise post-birthday dinner of fried chicken (Shannon makes fantastic fried chicken) and a birthday gift: the new Willie Nelson reggae/country album, “Countryman.”
I’m a big Willie fan. You knew that. I’m pretty much a tourist in the reggae world: I like Bob Marley but I don’t know much else in the way of Rasta.
So I won’t try to be the music critic, much. (Read the review by Joe Gross on austin360.com if you want the critic’s take on it.)
But why did this take 10 years to come out? Really, some of the older songs Willie recycled for this album sound like they were lifted from past albums and welded onto whatever reggae beat happened to be floating by at the time. For example, “You Left Me A Long, Long Time Ago” is pretty much the same version you’ll find on the 1996 re-release of the “Wanted! The Outlaws” album — except with a reggae band along for the ride.
Still, if you’re a Willie fan, it’s a pleasant, relaxing diversion. It managed to calm me down yesterday as I drove down Texas 71, after blowing out two bicycle tires in six miles at Pace Bend Park.
Permalink | | Categories: By Dave Thomas
