Notes & Personnel Info |  | Willie Nelson: Willie Nelson (vocals); Merle Haggard (acoustic guitar); Ben Harper (electric slide guitar); Jerry Lee Lewis (piano); Joe Walsh , Keith Richards, Kid Rock, Al Green, Lee Ann Womack, Los Lonely Boys, Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Shelby Lynne, The Holmes Brothers, Toby Keith, Toots Hibbert, Carole King. | | Personnel: Willie Nelson (acoustic guitar); Keith Richards (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Al Green, Toby Keith, Toots Hibbert (vocals, acoustic guitar); Joe Walsh , Kid Rock, Merle Haggard (vocals, electric guitar); Ben Harper (vocals, slide guitar); Jerry Lee Lewis (vocals, grand piano); Lee Ann Womack, Lucinda Williams, Rickie Lee Jones, Shelby Lynne, The Holmes Brothers, Carole King (vocals); Biff Watson (guitar, acoustic guitar); Jody Payne (guitar, background vocals); Kenny Lovelace, Nils Lofgren, Henry Garza (guitar); Jimmy Ripp (electric guitar); Mickey Raphael (harmonica); David Woodford (saxophone); Bill Churchville (trumpet); Garrett Adkins (trombone); Ivan Neville, Bobbie Nelson (piano); Jim Cox (keyboards); James "Hutch" Hutchinson (upright bass); Willie "Popsy" Dixon, Jim Keltner, Paul English, Ringo Garza (drums); Billy Gene English (percussion); Stacie Michelle, Julia Tillman Waters, Lonely Boys, Maxine Willard Waters, Bernard Fowler (background vocals). | | Audio Mixer: Ed Seay. | | Recording information: The Wiltern LG (05/05/2004). | | Photographers: Michael Caulfield; Lester Cohen. | | Outlaws and Angels is the audio counterpart to the Willie Nelson Special that aired on cable television in the summer of 2004. Here, Nelson is surrounded by friends who also happen to be fans. Among them are Keith Richards, Lucinda Williams, Merle Haggard, Carole King, Al Green, the Holmes Brothers, Toby Keith, Kid Rock, Shelby Lynne, Jerry Lee Lewis, Los Lonely Boys, Toots Hibbert, Joe Walsh, Ben Harper, Rickie Lee Jones, and Lee Ann Womack. Interestingly, Bob Dylan, who was part of the broadcast, is absent here, though he has top billing on the advert for the DVD that comes in the package. That said, this set is for the hardcore only: the first irritating thing is that the announcer for the evening introduces each guest -- sometimes in the middle of a song! While this could have been easily edited, the fact that it was left in for the audio CD is inexcusable. Secondly, the material, while compelling, is rarely executed in such a way. The ease that Haggard and Nelson display with one another is rarely achieved elsewhere. Williams' duet with Nelson on "Overtime" is truly beautiful, and the pair share an affinity for delivering ballads without overstatement. Likewise, Keith Richards' appearance with Nelson on "We Had It All carries with it real authority, and Nelson's own delivery on the tune is stellar and deeply and oddly, Richards' own vocal, despite his limited range, complements Willie's well in a roughshod way. But these are the clear highlights. The rest, with Haggard, Lewis, Kid Rock, and Richards, is just plain embarrassing. This is a mixed bag to be sure, but it's not without some charm. If only the presentation were better. ~ Thom Jurek | | Though he was already a musical icon of inarguable standing, Willie Nelson became something of an officially acknowledged national treasure after his 70th birthday in 2003. This is exemplified by the live album OUTLAWS & ANGELS, documenting a concert where some of the biggest stars from all walks of the musical world joined Willie to pay tribute to his work and his enduring influence. Some of the artists included won't raise any eyebrows; for instance, fellow country legend Merle Haggard is on hand for several tunes, including his own classic "Mama Tried" and the Townes Van Zandt-penned story-song "Pancho & Lefty." | | Less predictable are appearances by reggae pioneer Toots Hibbert (on the Toots & the Maytals signature song "Pressure Drop" and the latter-day Nelson composition "Still Is Still Moving to Me," which adapts surprisingly well to a reggae feel), Kid Rock, and Carole King. A particularly notable moment is blues band the Holmes Brothers' take on Willie's old heartbreak anthem "Opportunity to Cry," which adds an extra dash of soul. While hardcore Willie fans might be just as happy to hear the man all by himself, the stellar guest list of OUTLAWS & ANGELS merely confirms what those fans have known all along--that Willie Nelson is one of America's most accomplished singer/songwriters, bar none. |
Producer: James Stroud; Mark Rothbaum; James Stroud; Mark Rothbaum |
Engineer: David Hewitt; David Hewitt |
Musical Guests | | Keith Richards | | Merle Haggard | | Jerry Lee Lewis | | Lucinda Williams | | Toby Keith | | Joe Walsh | | Kid Rock | | Al Green | | Carole King | | Ben Harper |
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