Willie Nelson & Bobbie Nelson December Day - Willie's Stash Vol.1 (CD)

(Sony Music) 18 tracks

That Willie Nelson still has a lot in his archive was clear when he suddenly conjured up the double CD -Who'll Buy My Memories - The IRS Tapes- from the archive in 1991 and the reggae album -Countryman- recorded in 1997 was released in 2007. The start of an archive series: Willie's Stash Vol.1.  

Mickey Raphael, Nelson's harmonica player for over 40 years and accompanist to almost all recordings and performances, reports in the Liner Notes how Willie and his 'little' sister Bobbie (who is actually three years older than Willie), who have been playing together since early childhood, jam in Willie's tour bus in their free hours. Bobbie plays a travel piano, Willie sings and plays his dodgy old guitar 'Trigger'. One gets the impression, in connection with what Raphael tells, that for Nelson making music is actually synonymous with breathing. Willie plays the guitar almost all the time. Bobbie and he hardly need to look at each other anymore. They just get started, and after a few hours dozens of recordings are in the box, every producer's dream and nightmare of everyone who has to make a selection for the CD from the abundance of recordings made in this way over a period of ten years.  

The recordings are all from the last ten to eleven years. In other words, the period in which Willie Nelson delivered many albums with very different styles. The oldest recordings are from 2004 and there are three songs from 2014. Willies vocals on this CD belong to the best he has accomplished in the last 10 years. He sounds more vital, effortless and clearer. It's very nice to hear so many new recordings of old Nelson classics in brilliant quality. Especially the title song December Day appears in an amazingly different version than the one known from the '93 Moonlight Becomes You album.  

Conclusion: A wonderful quiet, contemplative country record with excellent vocals, deep songs and a very modest acting companion.