Willie Nelson - Somewhere over the Rainbow

More standards from Willie

From 1985, some call this a follow-up to "Stardust" which is not accurate. Be aware: Willie shares lead vocals with Freddie Powers which is not clear on the packaging, and something I wasn't aware of when I purchased it. Also, these are more "country swing" versions, with quite a bit of fiddle and violin. However, it does sound like they had a lot of fun recording this album. Standouts: "Mona Lisa", "Who's Sorry Now?", I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter". June 18, 2008

Some of the best swing fiddle ever

I bought this on the recommendation of Randy Elmore, an extraordinary swing fiddler who played with Mel Tillis for years and teaches at Johnny Gimble's Swing Camp. Johnny was driving down a road in Texas and saw Willie's bus pulled over - he stopped to offer help and Willie asked if he wanted to come to the recording session and sit in. Randy said it is the best Texas Swing fiddle ever recorded. It well might be and Willie is at his best, too. Great song selection. January 14, 2008

Wonderful band, wonderful production

This CD is what you would get when Wille and Freddy play in the living room. A lot of us, in Austin, have been in the living room for this kind of jam. (See Rodgers and Hammerhead)
Freddy is the best rhythm guitarist in Texas. His songs have been hits for Willie, a half dozen for Merle, George Jones and Ray Charles. He is a Texas treasure. Willie sings swing songs better than ever, on this CD. You can hear the reckless fun that went on in the studio. The late Paul Buskirk was a mentor for both Willie AND Freddy and they were lucky to get this session recorded while he was still with us. THIS IS AN AMAZING, INTIMATE CD!!! March 30, 2007

A Sad surprise

I'm disappointed with this one, sadly surprised. The musicians are great and the vocals by Freddie Powers are a nice treat but where the heck was Willie when they picked these songs? He sounds smooth but I swear you could plug a few quarters in him and get a few more tunes out of him -- he's on 'automatic' it seems for a very short collection.

I'm glad they titled 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" because I never would have recognized it.

Star Dust stands alone, nothing can come close to that. He put more energy and thought in one song (Moonlight in Vermont) than he did in this entire collection on Rainbow. The best Willie, for me, is Milk Cow Blues and right now Cindy Walker is neck to neck with Red Headed Stranger.

If you get a chance to hear the original Milk Cow Blues, or one of them, by Sidney Bechet and then listen to Willie you can't help but be impressed by the depth of this mans' talent and passion for music.

I'd skip Over the Rainbow if you're new to Willie -- if you want the commercial Willie, get Star Dust which is beautiful and warm and loving. If you want some serious blues and singing get Milk Cow Blues and now, if you want to kick up your heels or go cheek-to-cheek, get the Cindy Walker (amazingly talented woman).

But hey, it's WIllie and ya gotta love the man. July 12, 2006

Willie's second Great American Songbook album

Following the success of Stardust, Willie recorded further albums of old standards. This was his second such album, though it was not a direct follow-up. With a different production team - Freddy Powers and his sidemen instead of Booker T Jones - the overall sound is slightly different from Stardust, but equally effective.

It came as a surprise to me when I first discovered that the big hit version of Over the rainbow was not the Judy Garland version - it only peaked at 5 on the American pop chart - but the Glenn Miller version, which stayed at number one for over two months. Willie's version is, of course, very different from either of those, but is brilliant in its own way.

Another surprise for we was to discover that Who's sorry now is more than thirty years older than I originally assumed. Of course, we all think of it as a Connie Francis song, but Isham Jones and Marion Harris both had top five hits with the song in 1923, when three other versions also charted high (eleven or better).

Other classic oldies (with their biggest original hit versions) given the distinctive Willie Nelson treatment include Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole in 1950), Exactly like you (Ruth Etting in 1930), I'm confessing that I love you (Guy Lombardo in 1930), My mother's eyes (George Jessel in 1928) and I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter (Fats Waller in 1935, but a bigger hit for the Boswell sisters a year later).

The origin of the other three songs is unknown to me, but Willie sings both Won't you ride in my little red wagon and It wouldn't be the same superbly. He completes the album with an instrumental version of Twinkle twinkle little star.

If you enjoy Willie's Stardust album, you'll also enjoy this album. March 11, 2004

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