Willie Nelson - Remember Me Vol. 1
Album review by: Cheryl Harvey Hill
If life has been a bit hectic lately and you are feeling the need for a relaxing and refreshing break, I have the perfect solution, just toss “Remember Me Vol. 1” into your player. It's an exhilarating trip down memory lane that is as satisfying as a drive through the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains on a crisp autumn day.
Willie Nelson has perfected delivering music in such a way that it can effortlessly integrate your being and on this album he manages that feat fourteen times. This time out, he has personally put together what is being referred to as “a collection of the genre's most definitive songs.” This eclectic list of tunes was compiled from Billboard hits over the past seven decades.
The album kicks off with the title cut, Remember Me. The delightful fiddle intro, and Nelson's uniquely metered delivery of this gentle classic, immediately transported me back to a simpler time when we would gather round the old Philco radio with my mother and grandparents. If I had a nickel for every time I've said, “Willie Nelson is the cure for what ails you, no matter what ails you,” I'd be a very rich woman and, once again, he delivers a magnificent dose of his musical, magical cure-all.
The album includes songs from 1947 to 1989, all major hits for iconic figures of each era between then and now. They are an interesting reflection of our culture and certainly indictative of simpler times when the music could be more important than the lyrics. On the other hand, a few of these hits had a somber message like the one that brought together Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson for “Sunday Morning Coming Down”.
I began smiling immediately as “Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (that cigarette)” came through the speakers. My recollection of this song was that it was nothing more than a silly tune, one that often resulted in a very quick two-step through the living room and around the dining room table with my grandfather. I have to admit that I had never thought about the seriousnous of the lyrics before. There is no denying that despite the upbeat tempo, they are a sobering reminder of nicotine addiction:
But nicotine slaves are all the same / at a pheasant party or a poker game / Everythin's gotta stop when they have that cigarette / Smoke smoke smoke that cigarette / puff puff puff and if you smoke yourself to death / Tell St Peter at the Golden Gate / that you hate to make him wait / But you just gotta have another cigarette
The peddle steel on “Satisfied Mind” is superb and this easy-flowing waltz has such an uplifting and positive message that is, sadly, quite appropriate for today's economy. I loved the instrumental intro on “Roly Poly” too, the guitar, piano, harmonica, and fiddle all generated another quick step memory for me. Great job on all the instrumentals, on every track, but they are superbly showcased on this particular one. The album winds down with a beautiful rendition of “Release Me” and then finishes up with the energentic “Ramblin' Fever”.
It is so sweet when good things remain the same and great talents get only greater. This is certainly true of the one and only Willie Nelson, and the good news gets even better, because he is already working on “Remember Me, Vol. II”.
Moment of Forever
My Hero Has Always Been Willie
www.willienelson.com
If life has been a bit hectic lately and you are feeling the need for a relaxing and refreshing break, I have the perfect solution, just toss “Remember Me Vol. 1” into your player. It's an exhilarating trip down memory lane that is as satisfying as a drive through the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains on a crisp autumn day.
Willie Nelson has perfected delivering music in such a way that it can effortlessly integrate your being and on this album he manages that feat fourteen times. This time out, he has personally put together what is being referred to as “a collection of the genre's most definitive songs.” This eclectic list of tunes was compiled from Billboard hits over the past seven decades.
The album kicks off with the title cut, Remember Me. The delightful fiddle intro, and Nelson's uniquely metered delivery of this gentle classic, immediately transported me back to a simpler time when we would gather round the old Philco radio with my mother and grandparents. If I had a nickel for every time I've said, “Willie Nelson is the cure for what ails you, no matter what ails you,” I'd be a very rich woman and, once again, he delivers a magnificent dose of his musical, magical cure-all.
The album includes songs from 1947 to 1989, all major hits for iconic figures of each era between then and now. They are an interesting reflection of our culture and certainly indictative of simpler times when the music could be more important than the lyrics. On the other hand, a few of these hits had a somber message like the one that brought together Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson for “Sunday Morning Coming Down”.
I began smiling immediately as “Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (that cigarette)” came through the speakers. My recollection of this song was that it was nothing more than a silly tune, one that often resulted in a very quick two-step through the living room and around the dining room table with my grandfather. I have to admit that I had never thought about the seriousnous of the lyrics before. There is no denying that despite the upbeat tempo, they are a sobering reminder of nicotine addiction:
But nicotine slaves are all the same / at a pheasant party or a poker game / Everythin's gotta stop when they have that cigarette / Smoke smoke smoke that cigarette / puff puff puff and if you smoke yourself to death / Tell St Peter at the Golden Gate / that you hate to make him wait / But you just gotta have another cigarette
The peddle steel on “Satisfied Mind” is superb and this easy-flowing waltz has such an uplifting and positive message that is, sadly, quite appropriate for today's economy. I loved the instrumental intro on “Roly Poly” too, the guitar, piano, harmonica, and fiddle all generated another quick step memory for me. Great job on all the instrumentals, on every track, but they are superbly showcased on this particular one. The album winds down with a beautiful rendition of “Release Me” and then finishes up with the energentic “Ramblin' Fever”.
It is so sweet when good things remain the same and great talents get only greater. This is certainly true of the one and only Willie Nelson, and the good news gets even better, because he is already working on “Remember Me, Vol. II”.
Moment of Forever
My Hero Has Always Been Willie
www.willienelson.com
