Spirit: Willie Nelson



Album: Spirit

Artist: Willie Nelson

Genre(s) Country, Folk

Spirit was Willies Nelson's 49th album when released in 1996.  Many felt that it was his response to the 1994 Johnny Cash album American Recordings, I'll let you decide.  It's a stripped back album featuring just guitars, piano and fiddle.  The Spanish influence runs through the tracks with beautiful guitar, piano and fiddle solos in a very clear and clean fashion.  It features some of the classic themes of country.  Unrequited love, heartache, religion and declarations of love are all there.  It's an evocative yet personal album capable of taking you away to places in your imagination.  The opening instrumental piece Matador takes me to my imagined Mexico.  Indeed the instrumental tracks are probably the albums strongest from Matador to Mariachi which conjours up images of senoras and their caballeros dancing, to Spirit of E9 which showcases the virtuosity of guitarist, pianist and fiddler.  
The album is full of poignant lyrics from tracks like Your Memory Won't Die In My Grave to my personal favourite, for a number of reasons, I Guess I've Come To Live Here In Your Eyes. It's an album that deserves to be listened to.  Not as background music.  Sit down with a glass of something and be open to being taken away.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From The Holy Mountain

Image
Title: From the Holy Mountain Author: William Dalrymple Genre(s): Travel, History Earlier this year a new name appeared on my twitter feed,William Dalrymple. Usually retweeted by my favourite Kerryman (yes I have one).  After reading a number of his tweets over the space of a few weeks I decided to follow him myself, which by the way William you have not reciprocated, however we'll let that slide. His tweets were usually about India be it history or society and drew me in from a travel and history point of view.  A google search revealed his books and newspaper articles.  A chance meeting with my favourite Kerryman lead to a discussion about Mr.Dalrymple's books.  "Any good?" I asked.  "Outstanding, says the Kerryman, probably my favourite book ever".  And Kerrymen don't lie.  So off I took myself to O'Mahonys Bookshop in Limerick and purchased a copy of From The Holy Mountain. Eased into my favourite armchair I started to re
Read more

Rum: The Kraken

Image
Name: The Kraken Type: Rum, Spiced Rum ABV: 40% Rum is inextricably linked in myth, legend and marketing with the Caribbean.  With Pirate captains like Long John Silver and the British Navy.  The origins of the name are unclear and one strain of thought according to etymologist Samuel Morewood is that it may have been derived from slang for the best, as in "having a rum time".   In days of yore the navy used to issued a daily ration of rum to its sailors and indeed only stopped in 1970.  A double ration was issued at special times following the order to "splice the mainbrace", an order which could only be issued by the Queen, a member of the royal family or by the Admiralty.  In order to reduce the effects of the alcohol the rum was diluted with water and was known as grog, a term for booze that is still in use. The Kraken is a legendary giant sea creature which reputedly lives off the costas of Norway and Greenland.  It's also a black spi
Read more

For Whom The Bell Tolls

Image
Ernest Hemingway -  Larger than life, Brash, Flamboyant, Womaniser, Bull runner. Drinker, Author, War Correspondent, Boor.  Following the success of his 1920s novels Hemingway profiled himself as the big game hunting, marlin landing he-man that he yearned to be.  Eight years after his last novel and on the receiving end of some less than complimentary reviews for his non fiction attempts, Hemingway appears a little irrelevant.  The Spanish Civil war changed that.  Hemingway loved Spain and its culture.  He saw the Nationalist coup as an assault on the country and its culture which he revered.  He also related easily to the young American volunteers.  He himself had been a Red Cross volunteer in WW1. The Civil War allowed him to relive his youth safe from the combat of the front lines.  In Madrid he appeared in a faux khaki uniform.  In Adam Hochschilds "Spain in our Hearts"  Lincoln Brigade Physician William Pike, who met Hemingway in Spain, is quoted as sa
Read more