Shotgun Willie - WILLIE NELSON***

Shotgun Willie/Whiskey River/Sad Songs & Waltzes/Local Memory/Slow Down Old World/Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer)/Devil In A Sleepin' Bag/She's Not For You/Bubbles In My Beer/You Look Like The Devil/So Much To Do/A Song For You

Shotgun Willie was first album release of country legend Willie Nelson on the Atlantic label after tiring of the corporate Nashville music scene and moving to Austin, Texas. During this time he would develop the outlaw style of country music.

“His ability to convey a wide variety of emotions is nothing short of amazing, such as the underrated You Look Like The Devil. A lot of these songs are mellowed out, more so than most outlaw albums of the time.”

“There have been better voices in country music, but never a better vocalist than Willie Nelson. He knows exactly what he wants out of each line to maximize the effect of the lyrics, and his phrasing is inventive and unique. Although he is widely lauded for his song-writing ability, it is his delivery that makes the songs stand out.”

“Willie was in his prime here, forging his way between country, jazz, folk, and rootsy rock, on his way to the top of the music world and to a deserved iconic status.”

“The magnificent Shotgun Willie finds Willie Nelson in a witty but self-deprecating mood, painting an unglamorous picture of himself in the title track and opining that probably nobody will want to hear this material anyway. The fact is that this is a great collection of material, much of it in a rather maudlin vein admittedly, but the atmosphere puts me in mind of late nights alone after a night on the town, when you're at the stage of drunkenness conducive to philosophising and melancholy.”

“Self-aware, honest and witty, this is Willie at his career peak. There's not a weak song here, but Local Memory and You Look Like The Devil, combine sadness and dark humour to reach the sublime.”

“This album is a typical sad eyed ‘you left me’ country album, with a few exceptions. Both Shotgun Willie and Stay A Little Longer offer something new and refreshing. Whiskey River is an awesome song, but like the rest of the album, it lacks originality. This is a good fun album, but don't expect anything groundbreaking.”

“It is a fantastic recording from a time when outlaw country was in its infancy. Though there aren't that many songs with the outlaw attitude, the sound is there and if you like the Waylon and Willie material you will like this one.”