The Great Divide

With an estimated 200 albums recorded over the course of his 68 years on this planet so far, there is no doubting Willie Nelson’s prolific talent. And his love of songs has crossed many musical boundaries, from Nashvillean country to jazz, gospel to rock ‘n’ roll, from blues to pop. The much-loved Texan is probably best-known, however, as one of the ‘outlaw’ country rebels of the mid-1970s along with the late Waylon Jennings. The Great Divide, though, sees Nelson coming back squarely into the commercial fold.

This latest collection features collaborations with some of America’s best-known modern singers, from Sheryl Crowe to, bizzarely, Kid Rock, all under the watchful eye of super producer Matt Serletic, whose previous credits include twiddling knobs for multi-million selling opuses from Matchbox 20 and Santana.

Opener ‘Maria (Shut Up And Kiss Me)’ comes across like a fairly standard acoustic pop affair, penned by Matchbox 20’s Rob Thomas, who also sings on the track, but give it a couple of listens and its chorus sticks like chewing-gum to the inside of your head.

‘Mendocino County Line’, a duet with Lee Ann Womack, is a bittersweet ballad, effortlessly evoking those wide open spaces of the American south, and wouldn’t be out of place on a Bruce Springsteen record. Sheryl Crowe adds some lovely understated vocals to the gospel-tinged ‘Be There For You’, allowing Nelson to retain centre stage, and Bonnie Raitt gives a surprisingly restrained performance on the melancholy album closer, ‘You Remain’. Conversely, Kid Rock postures like ‘Blaze Of Glory’-era Jon Bon Jovi on the overly brash ‘Last Stand In Open Country’.

Even with the big name guest appearances, however, it is often the songs that feature Nelson on his own that really hit home, such as the beautiful ‘Won’t Catch me Crying’ (another Thomas composition, incidentally), the sublime cover of Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ or the relative sparsity of the title track.

The bottom line is that, almost in spite of the big budget production job and the slick packaging, The Great Divide resonates with real emotion and honesty. As he sings on ‘This Face’, “This old heart’s been beaten up/ My ragged soul, it’s had things rough/ This face is all I have, worn and lived in”. Simple truths, simply sung.