WILLIE NELSON Teatro (1998) - Music For Crying In Your Beer In A South Of The Border Te...

Teatro (1998)
Music For Crying In Your Beer In A
South Of The Border Tex-Mex Cantina

I've got a couple of favorite Willie Nelson albums but there's something so alluring about the raw, live in the studio, laid back tex-mex feel of Teatro that sets it apart from the rest of Willie's work. Perhaps it's producer Daniel Lanois' decision to record the album in an abandoned movie theater in Mexico, or Emmylou Harris' understated, yet always essential, vocal harmonies. Perhaps it's just Willie's way of finding the melancholy and sadness in every line he sings on Teatro. Surely it all starts with the sense of loss found in Nelson's material; "Darkness On The Face Of The Earth," "Somebody Pick Up My Pieces," "I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye"... the longing is simultaneously heartbreaking and hopeful and Nelson has rarely conveyed it as effectively. Interestingly, while the music was recorded in 1998, much of the material actually comes from the Willie's early 60s song catalog, and full blown countrified versions can be found scattered on previous albums. The atmosphere here, however, sounds casually live, if not, one take. And, like many great works, the entire album has a unified feel from start to finish.

Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour? (Where Are You, My Love?) (2:43)
I Never Cared For You (2:19)
Everywhere I Go (3:50)
Darkness On The Face Of The Earth (2:34)
My Own Peculiar Way (3:38)
These Lonely Nights (3:30)
Home Motel (3:15)
The Maker (5:09)
I Just Can't Let You Say Goodbye (4:38)
I've Just Destroyed The World I'm Living In (2:53)
Somebody Pick Up My Pieces (4:39)
Three Days (3:07)
I've Loved You All Over The World (4:18)
Annie (3:52)