The Norman Transcript

Entertainment

November 25, 2009

Two helpings of Willie

By Andrew W. Griffin

pop writer

As many of you digest yesterday's Thanksgiving feast, country music legend Willie Nelson will roll into Norman today to perform at Riverwind Casino at 8 p.m.

And 2009 has been a busy year for the icon from Abbott, Texas, who released two albums -- "Naked Willie," a collection of old songs stripped of the fluff and production of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and "American Classic," a recording of pop standards that nearly equals his 1978 release, "Stardust."

On "Naked Willie," the 17 songs on this RCA/Legacy release that came out in March are originals, but you won't find the "syrupy strings" and slickness of the originals. With Willie's voice, guitar and minimal production?humorously "un-produced" by Willie's long-time harmonica player, Mickey Raphael -- beautiful songs like 1967's "The Ghost" or the dusty feeling "Where Do You Stand?" sound fresh and honest.

Fast forward to the Blue Note recording "American Classic" Willie put out this summer. Here songs like "Fly Me To the Moon" avoid schmaltziness because Willie's comfortable and familiar voice help enhance this intimate recording.

A remix of "Always On My Mind" with more jazzy, cocktail lounge feeling is pure Willie. And listeners are bound to enjoy the two duets, "If I Had You" with Diana Krall and "Baby It's Cold Outside" performed with fellow Texan Norah Jones.

Both albums are required for any Willie Nelson fan or fan of top-notch American music and deserve an "A" grade.

Tickets for tonight's show at Riverwind are $73 premium, $78 for VIP and $83 for platinum seating.

For more information, go to www.riverwind.com or call 322-6464.

Text Only
Entertainment
  • 2nd Friday Art Circuit tonight

    Events for 2nd Friday Circuit of Art Feb. 10, 2012: Participating nonprofit organizations: · Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood, will exhibit artworks by students from the Healing Studio Feb. 10 through March 24. Firehouse patrons ...

    February 10, 2012

  • Breathe Owl Breathe flying to Opolis

    Breathe Owl Breathe (BOB) is not a typical band. Not surprisingly the trio’s percussionist, Trevor Hobbs, is not a conventional drummer. Between recording music, playing local gigs and touring, he teaches earth sciences at two different ...

    February 10, 2012

  • A rare viewing of “There is More to Love...”

    The University of Oklahoma College of Fine Arts and Norman’s Sooner Theatre is presenting a rare opportunity next weekend to see a staged reading of a new musical, “There is More to Love…” Utilizing love songs by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, ...

    February 10, 2012

  • ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ turns 50

    By Carolyn Kellogg Los Angeles Times “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Sure, everyone’s heard of it. But is it worth reading? Before Jack Nicholson won his first Oscar, before there was a bus full of merry pranksters, there was a writing ...

    February 10, 2012

  • On Se Rechauffe! Let’s Heat It Up!

    By Hannah Cruz norman etc. editor Thousands of people will gather the streets of Downtown Norman next weekend to enjoy Oklahoma’s original Mardi Gras parade....

    February 10, 2012

  • An interesting take on espionage with “Safe House”

    He must have joined “The Agency” with an eye toward excitement, exotic locales and danger. But in Capetown, a backwater as far as foreign intrigue goes, agency newcomer Matt Weston is stuck — a one-man show, running a never-used “safe ...

    February 10, 2012

  • The artist life of Warrior Spirits

    With nearly 1,000 distinct dialects spoken, hundreds of years of colonization from multiple countries as well as vast natural resources, Papua New Guinea is the epitome of diversity. Its native art is no exception....

    February 10, 2012

  • The ONE event is coming to town with chairs

    The unexpected will be the center of attention at the Norman Art Council’s ONE fundraiser in March: chairs....

    February 3, 2012

  • Economy on the upswing at the Deli Tuesday

    Life-long Norman resident Travis Pierce denies being a Communist. He explained writing a requiem for recently deceased North Korean strongman Kim Jong-il as recognition of his place in pop culture rather than as a tribute to a brutal ...

    February 3, 2012

  • Steel drums to hit OU

    The largest steel pan ensemble Oklahoma has ever seen will assemble in Norman next weekend for a steel pan festival, a two-day celebration of Calypso music that will make any stage seem small. “This is going to be the first time we’ve ...

    February 3, 2012

The Business Marquee
Facebook