Stardust

Dirty Linen - "...an album of classic American songs that just about everybody has heard....Nelson says that these Tin Pan Alley tunes are his all time favorite songs and, it seems that he and the band enjoyed playing them..." Dirty Linen - "...an album of classic American songs that just about everybody has heard....Nelson says that these Tin Pan Alley tunes are his all time favorite songs and, it seems that he and the band enjoyed playing them..." Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 - "...STARDUST sounds better than ever..." Q - 3 stars out of 5 - "...the first and best attempt by a contemporary artist to update...The Great American Songbook....not merely accessible but irresistible..." Record Collector - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Nelson invests each song with a relaxed, stately tone that feels loose and jazzy, yet also makes the most out of the melody." Q - 4 stars out of 5 -- "In 1978 willie Nelson teamed up with producer Booker T Jones to record a whole album of Tin Pan Alley standards....It shouldn't have worked, but it did, giving him one of the biggest-selling albums of his career."

At the height of outlaw country, Willie Nelson pulled off perhaps the riskiest move of the entire bunch. He set aside originals, country, and folk and recorded Stardust, a collection of pop standards produced by Booker T. Jones. Well, it's not entirely accurate to say that he put away country and folk, since these are highly idiosyncratic interpretations of "Georgia on My Mind," "All of Me," "Moonlight in Vermont," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," blending pop, country, jazz, and folk in equal measures. It's not that Willie makes these songs his own, it's that he reimagines these songs in a way that nobody else could, and with his trusty touring band, he makes these versions indelible. It may be strange to think that this album, containing no originals from one of America's greatest songwriters, is what made him a star, and it continues to be one of his most beloved records, but it's appropriate, actually. Stardust showcases Nelson's skills as a musician and his entire aesthetic -- where there is nothing separating classic American musical forms, it can all be played together -- perhaps better than any other album, which is why it was a sensation upon its release and grows stronger with each passing year. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|