Any world that includes Willie Nelson singing the songs of Rodney Crowell is a beautiful one, indeed. Nelson’s are still remarkably strong into his ninth decade, and he selects 12 of Crowell’s emotionally resonant songs from the past 50 years — ranging from 1976’s “Banks of the Old Bandera” to 2019’s “She’s Back in Town” — on his 77th solo studio album, Oh What a Beautiful World.
The album opens with a twanging guitar solo reminiscent of Roy Orbison on “What Kind of Love.” With a liquid pedal steel line eddying under the throbbing lead, Nelson and his band evoke a spacious landscape against which the tempestuous winds of love and desire blow. Nelson’s raggedly tender vocals capture the bittersweet nostalgia of growing up and looking back in the gorgeous rendition of “Banks of the Old Bandera,” while gentle strumming blends with Mickey Raphael’s harmonica runs, and Jim “Moose” Brown’s twirling piano notes on a mellow performance of “Shame on the Moon.” The layers of pedal steel continue to propel “Still Learning How to Fly” as the song spirals into the musical stratosphere. Nelson’s shimmering take on “Making Memories of Us,” captures the depth of the song’s hope and promise.
