Two Men with the Blues (2 LPs)
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Two Men with the Blues is no more a jazz album than a blues album. It's neither jazz returning home, nor blues wandering out. What Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis have created is a compilation of jump-blues standards with arrangements that compliment both genres. While most of the album is careful not to take itself too seriously, there are a few tracks that seem to plod on for ages. The live set kicks off with the upbeat "Bright Lights, Big City," on which Marsalis' horn is crisp and full. "Ain't Nobody's Business" and "Basin Street Blues" are arranged slower than better known versions but still fit the album's context. Nelson and Marsalis's take on "Stardust" comes off as a bit too "Sinatra" for Nelson's thin vocal, while "Georgia on My Mind" just doesn't work at all. Still, the things that work, work well. "Night Life" and "Rainy Day Blues" are particular stand-outs, and "Caldonia" is a faithful homage to the Louis Jordan original--minus Jordan's screaming punch line, of course. The album ends riding high on the last song, "That's All," with its straight-out-of-a-New-Orleans-Baptist-church feel. Both Nelson and Marsalis are notorious for collaborating with other artists. Therefore, it seems only natural that they've found themselves on a project together. Overall, this set is well worth the wait. --Eric C.P. Martin People en EspañolAunque a primera vista un dúo entre Willie Nelson y Wynton Marsalis suena como una combinación extraña, la realidad es que Two Men with the Blues es un disco bastante interesante. El álbum fue grabado el 12 y 13 de enero de 2008 en dos actuaciones en el famoso Jazz at Lincoln Center en Nueva York. No se puede negar que por momentos Willie Nelson parece un poco perdido el dentro del jazz, pero también demuestra el por qué es una leyenda de la música en canciones como "Caledonia" y "Georgia on My Mind," ambas interpretadas de forma espectacular. Quizá este no sea el mejor disco de Blues, Jazz o Country del año, pero sin duda es una adquisición obligatoria para los fanáticos tanto de Nelson y Marsalis. Además hay que decir que el sonido del álbum es magnífico, muchos músicos sueñan con sonar así dentro de un estudio. --Ernesto Sánchez (People en Español
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Tracks
| 1 | Bright Lights, Big City - Willie Nelson, Reed, Jimmy |
| 2 | Night Life - Willie Nelson, Nelson |
| 3 | Caldonia - Willie Nelson, Moore, Fleecie |
| 4 | Stardust - Willie Nelson, Carmichael, H. |
| 5 | Basin Street Blues - Willie Nelson, Williams, Spencer |
| 6 | Georgia on My Mind - Willie Nelson, Carmichael, H. |
| 7 | Rainy Day Blues - Willie Nelson, Nelson, Willie |
| 8 | My Bucket's Got a Hole in It - Willie Nelson, Williams, Clarence |
| 9 | Ain't Nobody's Business - Willie Nelson, Porter, Grainger |
| 10 | That's All - Willie Nelson, Travis, Merle |
